S3M    ITE 


• 


DE    SOTO    AND    HIS    MEN    IN 
THE    LAND    OF    FLORIDA 


The   Lady   of  Cofachiqui. 


De  Soto  and  His  Men  in 
the  Land  of  Florida 


BY 


GRACE   KING 

Author  of  "New  Orleans :   the  Place  and  the  People,"    "Jean 

Baptiste  le  Moyne,  Sieur  de  Bienville," 

"Balcony  Stories/'  etc. 


With  Illustrations  by  George  Gibbs 


New  York 
The  Macmillan  Company 

London:  Macmillan  &  Co.,  Ltd. 
1914 

All  rights  reserved 


Copyright,  1898, 
By  The  Macmillan  Company. 


Set  up  and  electrotyped  September,  1898.      Reprinted  September, 
1899. 
New  edition  September,  1906;  August,  1914. 


Norwood  Press 

J.  S.  Cashing  &  Co.  —  Berwick  &  Smith 
Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


05 

H~j 

Q 


57 


"  DEEP  buried  in  the  ooze  of  centuries, 

Wrapped  in  the  mighty  river's  winding-sheet, 
That  which  the  world  once  called  De  Soto  lies 

So  sepulchred,  steel-cased  from  head  to  feet, — 
Grim  ruins  of  that  puny  wonder,   Man, 

Poor  fragments  of  a  half-created  Thought, 
Dowered  with  struggling  will  for  one  brief  span, 

Then  dashed  to  pieces  by  the  hand  that  wrought ; 
But  yet  no  part  of  him,  no  grasp  for  power, 

No  strenuous  aim,  no  hope,  has  passed  away, 
No  wrongful  act  but  blasts  this  very  hour,  — 

All,  all  his  acts  are  seeds  that  sprout  to-day  : 
And  yet  for  him  —  sleep,  and  thro'  all  the  years 
The  endless  drone  of  waters  in  deaf  ears." 


41C57S) 


Preface 


THE  Inca,  Garcilaso  de  la  Vega,  tells  us,  in 
the  Introduction  to  his  History  of  Florida, 
how  he  came  to  write  it.  He  says  that,  in 
frequent  and  long  conversations  with  a  great  friend 
of  his,  a  cavalier  who  took  part  in  the  expedition  of 
Hernando  de  Soto,  he  learned  of  the  many  great 
deeds  performed  in  it,  both  by  Indians  and  Spanish 
cavaliers ;  and  as  it  seemed  a  shame  and  a  pity 
that  the  memory  of  so  much  heroism  should  die 
out  of  the  world  which  gave  it  birth,  he  induced 
his  friend  to  recount  the  story  in  regular  order 
while  he  himself  should  write  it  down.  But,  what 
with  long  voyages  and  wars,  with  incessant  activities 
on  the  part  of  both,  twenty  years  passed  and  they 
had  not  carried  out  their  intention ;  and  as  both 
were  then  well  on  in  years,  the  fear  was  great  within 
them  that,  one  or  the  other  dying,  their  story  would 
perish.  Time  and  opportunity  came,  however,  at 
last,  and  the  Inca  and  his  friend  set  themselves  to 
the  task,  and  accomplished  it.  By  good  fortune,  just 
as  he  had  finished  his  book,  the  Inca  was  enabled  to 
add  to  his  friend's  memory  the  written  testimony  of 
two  witnesses  of  the  same  events. 

Alonzo  de  Carmona,  an  old  soldier  of  De  Soto's, 


Vlll 


Preface 


who  after  the  Florida  expedition  went  to  Peru,  from 
pure  pleasure  in  recalling  past  adventures  in  his 
old  age  and  retirement  in  Spain,  wrote  them  down 
for  circulation  in  his  family  and  among  his  friends. 
The  Inca  was  an  old  Peruvian  acquaintance,  so  Car- 
mona  sent  him  his  manuscript,  knowing  nothing, 
however,  of  the  Inca's  history  of  Florida.  Shortly 
afterwards,  the  Inca  learned  that  in  the  hands 
of  a  printer  of  Cordova  was  a  collection  of  narra 
tives  of  adventurers  in  the  discovery  and  conquest 
of  the  New  World,  belonging  to  the  Provincial 
of  Santa  Fe,  who  had  been  called  away  from  the 
editing  of  them  by  business  of  his  order.  The  Inca 
went  to  Cordova,  found  the  collection,  about  a  ream 
of  rat-eaten,  vermin-infested  paper,  and  searched 
through  it  until  he  found  the  narrative  concerning 
Florida  written  by  Juan  Coles.  Like  the  account 
of  Carmona,  it  was  a  soldier's  story  of  his  advent 
ures,  short  and  crude,  written  without  order  or  pre 
cision,  giving  but  few  local  names,  and  jumping  from 
one  date  or  region  to  another,  in  order  to  tell  of 
notable  deeds  as  they  came,  haphazard,  to  mind. 
But  with  the  two  manuscripts  before  him,  the  Inca 
went  again  over  his  work,  carefully  noting  where  they 
agreed  with  one  another,  and  with  his  friend's  mem 
ory,  and  entering  the  result  of  the  revisions,  chapter 
by  chapter.  And  thus  his  history,  completed,  was 
published  at  Lisbon  in  1605,  under  the  title  of,  "  His 
tory  of  the  Adelantado  Hernando  de  Soto,  Governor 
and  Captain-General  of  the  Kingdom  of  Florida,  and 
of  other  Heroic  Cavaliers,  Spanish  and  Indian." 


Preface  ix 

So  long  before  this  as  1557,  there  had  been  pub 
lished  at  Evora  the  "  True  Relation  of  the  La 
bours  of  the  Governor,  Don  Hernando  de  Soto, 
and  certain  Portuguese  Hidalgos,  in  discovering 
the  Province  of  Florida,  by  a  Gentleman  of  Elvas." 
The  Inca  does  not  mention  having  seen  this  true 
relation,  and  perhaps  it  is  on  this  account,  that  one 
acute  historian  accuses  him  of  having  drawn  his 
whole  material  from  it,  the  Cavalier,  Alonzo  de 
Carmona,  and  Juan  Coles  being  merely  fictitious 
authorities.  Be  this  as  it  may  —  the  implied  false 
hood —  there  can  be  no  doubt  to-day,  that  the 
Portuguese  narration  could  not  act  otherwise,  on 
a  sympathetic  reader,  than  to  stimulate  a  desire  to 
commemorate  such  deeds  of  heroism  as  the  Inca 
must  have  heard  of  from  old  Floridian  explorers, 
since  the  "  Gentleman  from  Elvas,"  in  his  account, 
completely  ignores  them,  or  mentions  them  with 
niggardly  praise. 

Luis  Fernandez  de  Biedma,  the  royal  factor  of 
the  expedition,  also  wrote  a  brief  official  report  of  it, 
which  he  presented  to  the  king  and  council  of  the 
Indies,  on  his  return  to  Spain  in  1544;  a  dry  sum 
mary,  made  up  from  memory,  with  all  the  slips  and 
errors  in  it  incident  to  such  a  composition.  And 
finally,  to  complete  the  enumeration  of  authorities 
on  the  subject,  there  is,  or  rather  was,  the  report 
made  by  Rodrigo  Ranjel,  the  secretary  of  De  Soto, 
based  upon  a  diary  kept  during  the  march,  a  version 
of  which  is  contained  in  Oviedo's  History  (edition 
1851);  the  original  text  being  unknown. 


x  Preface 

As  long  as  there  have  been  in  this  world  two  men 
telling  the  same  story,  there  have  been  two  ways  of 
telling  that  story;  and  if  there  are  two  readers, 
there  will  be  just  so  many  ways  of  believing  it.  It 
seemed  hardly  more  necessary  here,  than  in  the  sol 
dier  stories  of  our  own  Civil  War,  for  instance,  to 
confute  and  refute,  sift  and  weigh  evidence,  when  the 
question  is  only  one  of  mere  human  characteristics, 
exaggerations,  and  discrepancies,  which  are  the  ear 
marks,  after  all,  of  human  experience,  varying  in 
detail,  but  agreeing  in  the  main  essentials. 

The  Inca,  as  half  Indian,  naturally  looks  upon 
the  native  of  Florida  with  a  more  sympathetic  eye 
than  does  the  Portuguese  gentleman  ;  and  melan 
choly  over  the  inevitable  doom  of  the  Indians  in 
their  unequal  contest  with  the  Spaniards  runs  in  an 
undercurrent  through  his  narration  as  through  his 
heart.  He  magnifies  the  Indians ;  their  fine  cour 
age,  noble  bearing,  beauty,  and  courtliness  of  man 
ner,  the  size  of  their  armies  and  importance  of  their 
villages,  with  perfect  sincerity  and  simplicity,  and 
with  no  conscious  deviation  from  truth;  for  in  his 
eyes  there  was  but  the  difference  of  God's  will  be 
tween  the  Indian  and  the  Spanish  cavalier  —  between 
his  mother's  people  and  his  father's  people. 

The  Portuguese  gentleman  looked  with  shrewd 
eyes  at  everything -- Florida,  Indians,  Spaniards, 
and  even  at  the  Adelantado  himself.  There  was 
no  glamour  of  sentiment  over  his  vision,  particularly 
when  the  failure  of  the  expedition  became  apparent 
to  it.  He,  on  his  side,  is  methodical  in  minimizing 


Preface  xi 

the  Indians  —  and  the  country  —  and  the  Spaniards 
in  comparison  with  the  Portuguese.  When  he 
praises,  he  praises  God  alone ;  and  the  only  heroic 
deeds  in  the  Conquest  are  attributed  to  Him, 
without  whom,  not  a  Spaniard  would  have  left 
Florida  alive.  His  long  list  of  villages  along  the 
line  of  march  suggests  that  the  Portuguese  gentle 
man  wrote  from  carefully  preserved  memoranda. 
The  Inca  gives  fewer  names,  but  his  spelling  of  them 
is  more  in  accord  with  our  pronunciation  to-day. 

Many  of  these  Indian  names  remain  to-day  and 
serve  as  landmarks  to  trace  the  general  line  of  De 
Soto's  march.  The  precise  line  of  the  march  has 
given  rise  to  infinite  discussions,  with  the  concomi 
tant  advantage  of  much  zealous  research,  and  patient 
investigation  of  Indian  antiquities  and  traditions,  and 
local  features  that  might  throw  light  upon  it. 

The  original  accounts  are  all  within  easy  reach  of 
the  curious ;  the  critical  estimates  of  them,  still 
nearer  at  hand,  are  codified  in  Justin  Winsor's  Nar 
rative  and  Critical  History  of  America.  In  this 
present  volume  there  has  been  no  attempt  at  aught 
else  than  to  form  the  original  versions  of  De  Soto's 
expedition  into  one  natural  and  continuous  narra 
tive,  with  as  little  alteration  of  language  and  spirit  as 
possible.  What  seemed  most  important  and  most 
interesting  has  been  taken ;  for  the  sake  of  brevity, 
much  that  was  only  interesting  was  discarded ;  con 
flicting  statements  were  avoided ;  and  some  of  the 
Inca's  descriptions  and  the  Portuguese  gentleman's 
long  speeches  were  abridged.  Although,  as  it  were, 


xii  Preface 

to  preserve  the  contemporary  spirit  from  modern 
interruptions,  few  notes  and  explanations  are  given, 
the  author  has  been  guided  by  careful  reference  to 
such  accepted  authorities  as  Jones's  History  of 
Georgia  and  Antiquities  of  Southern  Indians ; 
Pickett's  History  of  Alabama;  Claiborne's  His 
tory  of  Mississippi;  Yoakum's  History  of  Texas ; 
Marcy's  Exploration  of  the  Red  River;  Irving's 
Conquest  of  Florida;  Schoolcraft's  American  In 
dians  ;  "  Muskhogheean  Indians "  in  Johnson's 
Universal  Cyclopedia ;  and  the  Archives  of  Louisi 
ana  History ;  La  Salle's  Journal  of  his  voyages 
down  and  up  the  Mississippi  River ;  Joutel's  Nar 
rative  of  his  journey  from  the  coast  of  Texas  to 
Canada ;  Iberville's  Journal  of  his  voyage  up  the 
Mississippi  River  from  the  mouth  to  Tensas  Lake, 
and  back  again  ;  Bienville's  Journal  of  his  expedi 
tion  to  the  Red  River  Country ;  St.  Denis's  Over 
land  Journey  to  Mexico ;  and  the  "  Carte  de  la 
Louisiane  et  du  Cours  du  Mississippi,"  by  Guil- 
laume  de  L'Isle  of  the  "Academic  Royale  des 
Sciences,"  published  in  the  Amsterdam  (1707)  edi 
tion  of  Garcilaso  de  la  Vega,  which  traces  De  Soto's 
route  with  the  most  reasonable  accuracy,  and  which, 
based  as  it  was  upon  the  memoirs  and  reports  of  all 
the  previous  exploration  of  this  region,  might  be 
said  to  resume  the  ancient  and  begin  the  modern 
history  of  the  Mississippi. 


CONTENTS 

Chapter  Page 

Preface vii 

I.  Hernando  de  Soto            .....          I 

II.  The  Beginning  of  Conquest      .          .          .          .13 

III.  Juan  Ortiz 20 

IV.  The  March  Inland  .          .          .          .                  3 l 
V.      Acuera 42 

VI.     Vitachuco -5° 

VII.  Apalache       .          .          .          .          .          .          .68 

VIII.  The  Ride  of  the  Thirty  Cavaliers       .          .          .83 

IX.     Capafi -99 

X.      Cofa  and  Cofaqui 1 15 

XI.      Cofachiqui 127 

XII.  Xuala,  Guaxule,  Chiaha,  Coosa          .          .          .      144 

XIII.  Tuscaloosa 154 

XIV.  The  Battle  of  Mauvila 164 

XV.     After  the  Battle 174 

XVI.  In  the  Chickasaw  Country         .          .          .          .183 

XVII.     The  Great  River 197 

XVIII.      Capaha 210 

XIX.      In  the  West 222 

XX.  Death  and  Burial  of  the  Adelantado  .          .          .241 


xiv  Contents 

Chapter  page 

XXI.  Towards  Mexico    .          .  .          .          .          .257 

XXII.  Back  to  the  Mississippi     .....      269 

XXIII.  Aminoya       .          .          .  .          .          .          .277 

XXIV.  The  Flight  down  the  River  .          .          .          .293 
XXV.  On  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  ....      303 

XXVI.  Mexico         .          .          .  .          .          .          .317 


List  of  Illustrations 

Facing  page 
The  Lady  of  Cofachiqui        ....   Frontispiece 

Florida,  with  the  March  of  De  Soto  and  his  Men  :   Map     .  I 

"Swords  flashed  in  the  sun"          .....  2 

"Sevilla!  Sevilla  !  " 19 

De  Soto  and  Vitachuco          ......        56 

" The  caravels  had  arrived"  .          .          .          .          .107 

"Back  and  forth  they  charged"     .          .          .          .          .170 

"The  greatest  river  they  had  ever  seen"          .          .          .      202 
Death  of  the  Adelantado 250 

xv 


'Hi. 
f     **    ~*! 


Hernando  de  Soto  and  his  Men  in  the 
Land  of  Florida 


CHAPTER   I 

HERNANDO    DE    SOTO 

HERNANDO  DE  SOTO  and  his  men  came 
within  sight  of  the  land  of  Florida  on  the 
twenty-fifth  of  June,  1539.  It  was  Whit 
sunday.  The  faint  white  streak  of  land  between 
the  calm  blue  heavens  and  the  quivering,  flashing 
blue  waters  of  the  Gulf  broke  like  a  new  dawn.  It 
seemed  the  crest  of  a  wave  held  fast,  a  wisp  from 
a  white  cloud  overhead,  —  nothing  more ;  but  to 
the  Spaniards  it  looked  hardly  less  than  the  very 
symbol  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  whose  day  it  was,  hover 
ing  over  the  bosom  of  the  waters ;  a  token  of  divine 
approbation  and  promise,  the  sure  warrant  of  the 
fulfilment  of  their  hopes  and  expectations.  So,  a 
quarter  of  a  century  before,  the  same  vague  white 
line  appeared  to  Juan  Ponce  de  Leon  on  that  radi 
ant  Easter  morning  when  he  named  the  country 
"  La  tierra  de  la  Pascua  Florida/'  —  the  land  of  the 
flowery  feast ;  and  as  he  looked  towards  it,  he  could 
hear,  sighing  over  the  waters  behind  him,  the  soft 


•*.£  :  './ :  •.:  {  J-Je.rnando  de  Soto 

voices  of  the  Indians  borne  down  in  their  weakness 
by  their  oppressions,  murmuring,  "  Over  there! 
Over  there  lies  Bimini !  The  land  of  the  fountain 
of  Eternal  Youth!  The  land  where  none  grow  old." 
"Eternal  Youth!"  Young  warriors  catch  not  at 
such  words  ;  but  the  old,  weather-beaten  adventurer 
and  companion  of  Columbus  heard  them  and  lis 
tened  with  his  heart ;  for  the  voice  of  the  siren  can 
be  heard  only  in  the  heart,  and  she  sang  to  him  the 
song  that  never  fails  to  lure  the  heart  of  the  old 
—  the  song  of  joyous  youth,  of  fresh  love  and  fresh 
hopes.  Gold  and  Silver,  Fame  and  Honour!  What 
paltry  baubles  in  comparison  with  Eternal  Youth  ! 
Ponce  de  Leon  hastened  to  secure  the  conquest  of 
that  land,  and  set  sail  for  it  with  men  and  arms. 
His  own  efflorescence,  his  own  radiant  resurrection, 
was  the  festival  he  had  in  mind  when  he  named  the 
shore.  Alas  !  poor  old  Ponce  de  Leon  had  been 
dead  and  buried  now  some  fifteen  years. 

On  De  Soto's  fleet,  the  cry  of  the  lookout,  sig 
nalled  from  ship  to  ship,  was  answered  with  glad 
shouts  and  cries;  trumpets  sounded,  swords  flashed 
in  the  sun;  the  decks  darkened  with  a  rushing 
throng,  and  the  ships,  as  if  they,  too,  scented  con 
quest,  bounded  and  leaped  forward  over  the  rippling 
surges,  their  sails  thrilling  in  the  wind.  These  men 
were  pursuing  no  myth;  the  magic  fountain  no 
longer  lured  men  on,  and,  besides,  these  were  all 
young,  possessed  already  the  magic  fountain  of 
youth  ;  there  was  but  one  white-haired  man  in  the 
thousand  of  them.  The  song  they  heard  was  the 


"Swords  flashed  in  the  sun." 


Hernando  de  Soto  3 

song  the  siren  sings  to  the  young ;  the  song  of  the 
future,  the  fortunate  future,  the  future  of  fame  and 
wealth,  of  golden  rivers  and  flashing  mines,  spoils 
and  prizes,  ransom  of  kings  and  capture  of  kings' 
daughters;  the  future  that  youth  gladly  squanders 
youth  to  obtain.  And  the  gilded  San  Cristoval 
was  no  more  appropriate  at  the  prow  of  his  ship 
than  was  Hernando  de  Soto  at  the  head  of  such  an 
expedition;  the  pilot  at  the  wheel  could  not  steer 
a  straighter  course  across  the  ocean  than  he  to  that 
land;  for  had  he  not  been  to  it,  had  he  not  been 
guided  by  the  lodestar  of  his  hopes  into  the  very 
haven  of  it  ? 

An  unknown  youth  of  sixteen,  the  son  of  an 
obscure,  impecunious  hidalgo  of  Villanueva  de 
Barcarrota,  with  no  possession  of  his  own,  as  the 
saying  went,  but  his  sword,  no  other  recommenda 
tions  than  his  valour  and  good  qualities,  he  set  out 
from  Spain,  one  of  the  thousand  of  motley  advent 
urers  that  followed  the  new  governor,  Pedrarias 
d'Avila,  to  Darien.  Twenty  years  later  he  returned 
a  conqueror  of  Peru,  and  rich  with  fame  and  fort 
une  ;  the  lieutenant  general  and  right  hand  of 
Pizarro,  captor  of  Atahualpa  and  one  of  the  spoilers 
of  the  golden  city  of  Cuzco;  his  name  standing  only 
after  the  two  Pizarros  in  the  list  of  the  division  of 
the  prizes  ;  and  young  still,  still  in  the  prime  of  life 
and  enjoyment,  and  good  looking  and  unmarried, 
withal.  Pizarro,  even  Cortez  himself,  was  held  by 
not  a  few  in  Spain  to  have  but  a  closing  vista  of  life 
in  comparison  with  the  career  opening  before  him. 


4  Hernando  de  Soto 

Of  medium  height,  a  figure  that  appeared  as  well 
on  foot  as  on  horseback,  dark  complexion,  regular 
features,  expressive  eyes,  noble  address,  he  looked 
the  cavalier  and  soldier  he  had  proved  himself  to  be  ; 
inexorable  of  will,  inexhaustible  of  resources,  cool  and 
daring  in  battle,  prudent  and  subtle  at  the  council 
board.  He  was  by  common  consent  reputed  to 
be  the  best  horseman  in  the  Peruvian  army,  and 
always  excepting  the  incomparable  Pizarro  himself, 
also  the  best  lancer  in  it,  his  lance  being  ever 
reckoned  equal  to  any  ten  of  the  best.  He  was 
in  truth  the  first  Spaniard  —  and  his  horse,  the  first 
of  those  fateful  animals  that  the  unfortunate  Inca 
beheld  —  if  he  beheld  them. 

The  story  of  the  celebrated  interview  came  with 
De  Soto  to  Spain,  but  its  truth  was  discredited  then, 
as  it  is  now.  Sent  as  envoy  to  Atahualpa,  in  Caxa- 
malca,  De  Soto  found  the  Inca,  in  all  his  sacred 
majesty,  seated  on  a  throne,  surrounded  by  attend 
ants,  awaiting  him.  The  glittering  troop  of  lancers 
galloped  to  the  spot  and  halted.  Atahualpa's  eyes 
were  fixed  upon  the  ground.  The  troop  passed  and 
repassed  before  him  ;  still  he  did  not  raise  his  head, 
nor  would  he  look  at  the  envoy  nor  receive  his 
message  nor  answer  him.  An  attendant  looked,  lis 
tened,  and  answered  for  him.  Stung  by  the  con 
temptuous  disdain,  De  Soto  spurred  his  horse  and 
curveted  and  pranced  the  animal  so  close  to  the 
throne  that  the  hoofs  almost  grazed  the  royal  face. 
The  Peruvian  attendants  fled  in  terror  from  the 
great,  strange  beast.  Atahualpa  then  raised  his  eyes 


Hernando  de  Soto  $ 

and  spoke.     He  commanded  the  attendants  to  be 
put  to  death. 

Seventy  of  the  Peruvian  conquerors  returned  to 
Spain  with  De  Soto,  among  them  the  distinguished 
cavaliers  Luis  de  Moscoso  d'Alvarado,  Nuno  de 
Tobar,  and  Juan  de  Lobillo.  All  went  together  to 
present  themselves  at  court  in  Valladolid, —  Juan 
d'Anasco,  a  rich  young  cavalier  of  Seville,  and  an 
amateur  in  adventure  and  science,  accompanying 
them.  They  presented  themselves  in  such  costly 
apparel  and  made  so  gallant  a  show,  that  the  his 
torians  of  the  time  pause  in  their  serious  narratives 
to  chronicle  it,  and  tell  us,  with  naive  simplicity, 
with  what  smiles  and  favour  they  were  received. 
De  Soto  was  treated  with  especial  distinction  and 
honour ;  and  when  it  became  known  that  of  his  prize 
money  he  had  loaned  the  king  upwards  of  a  hundred 
thousand  ducats,  it  became  known  also  that  royal 
favour,  the  best  gift  of  the  blind  goddess  even  in 
the  days  of  America's  conquest,  was  not  to  be 
withholden  from  him.  Returning  to  Seville,  he 
took  the  lodgings  and  set  up  the  state  of  a  noble 
man  with  attendants,  a  steward,  gentlemen-ushers, 
pages,  a  gentleman  of  the  horse,  a  chamberlain. 

While,  of  all  the  cities  of  Spain,  the  gay  Andalusian 
capitol  would  sow  in  the  breast  of  a  youth  the  surest 
seeds  of  desire  to  turn  him  from  contented  provin 
cialism  to  roving  adventure  after  gold,  yet  would 
she,  more  surely  than  any  other  city,  lure  him  back 
home  again;  for  none  other  could  vie  with  her  in  the 
gratifications  that  a  Spaniard  coveted  wealth  to  en- 


6  Hernando  de  Soto 

joy.  Around  her  fountains,  in  good  sooth,  old  war 
riors  could  forget  even  to  wish  for  the  fountain  of 
youth.  There,  society  counted  but  one  season,  the 
carnival,  which  had  lasted  ever  since  the  days  of 
Columbus,  with  such  a  glittering  flow  of  adventurers 
streaming  through  it  to  and  from  the  New  World 
as  gilded  it  beyond  the  semblance  of  reality,  as  the 
streams  of  Castilla  de  Oro  were  said  to  gild  their 
beds. 

When  De  Soto  came  to  Seville,  the  brilliant  queen 
and  leader  of  this  society  was  Dona  Isabella  de 
Bobadilla,  the  widow  of  Pedrarias,  his  first  chief 
and  patron.  She  had  sailed  in  that  same  expedi 
tion  to  Darien  with  her  husband,  to  accompany 
him,  doughtily  leaving  behind  her  eight  children 
in  Spain,  and  showing,  it  is  chronicled,  no  less  stout 
a  heart  on  the  tempestuous  voyage  than  the  mari 
ners  who  had  passed  their  lives  upon  the  deep. 
And  no  less  stoutly  did  she  stand  the  bloody  tem 
pests  of  her  husband's  terrible  reign  in  Darien  (Furor 
Domini,  he  was  called  for  it).  And  it  is  not  to  be 
forgotten  that,  in  one  of  her  efforts  to  mitigate  it 
by  reconciling  the  vindictive  Pedrarias  with  Vasco 
Nunes  de  Balboa,  she  betrothed  her  eldest  daughter 
to  the  glorious  young  discoverer  of  the  Pacific.  But 
she  could  not  prevent  the  bloody  execution  of  Acla. 
.  .  .  Dona  Isabella,  in  fact,  not  only  touched  the 
Spanish  conquest  with  her  own  hands,  as  it  were, 
but,  reaching  back  a  little,  she  could  touch  the  dis 
covery  of  America  and  the  great  discoverer  through 
her  aunt,  the  charming  Beatrice  de  Bobadilla, 


Hernando  de  Soto  7 

Marchioness  of  Moya,  the  favourite  and  intimate 
friend  of  Queen  Isabella,  but  better  known  now  as 
the  ardent  admirer  of  Columbus,  and  his  friend  at 
court  when  he  most  needed  a  friend. 

Dona  Isabella's  court  in  Seville  was  made  up  of 
charming  women  like  herself  and  a  train  of  cavaliers 
recruited  from  the  fine  flower  of  the  Spanish  chiv 
alry  and  adventurers  of  the  day.  De  Soto  found 
in  it  the  same  welcome  and  the  same  favour  and  dis 
tinction  as  in  the  less  charming  imperial  palace 
at  Valladolid.  His  marriage  to  Dona  Isabella's 
daughter,  the  young  Dona  Isabella  de  Bobadilla, 
follows  in  logical  and  romantic  sequence.  And  now 
it  would  seem  that  De  Soto's  star  had  reached  its 
zenith.  With  fame,  fortune,  and  a  noble  wife,  what 
higher  was  there  to  guide  him  to  ?  He  had  but 
to  buy  land,  found  a  great  estate  and  family,  and  sit 
down  content  with  his  happiness.  But  it  seems 
ordained  that  ambition  may  aspire  to  every  success 
but  content,  and  fortune  purchase  every  gift  except 
independence  of  fortune.  De  Soto  had  already 
sought  and  obtained  from  the  king  the  conquest 
of  Florida,  offering  to  achieve  it  at  his  own  expense. 
A  curt  old  chronicler  who  took  part  in  the  Florida 
expedition,  speaking  for  himself  doubtless,  says  it 
all  came  about  simply  through  Cabeza  de  Vaca  and 
his  talk. 

Cabeza  de  Vaca  had  made  his  appearance  at  Val- 
ladolid,too,  after  his  adventures  in  America.  There 
was  no  splendour  of  fame  and  wealth  about  him  ; 
nothing  of  the  conqueror ;  his  return  to  his  native 


8  Hernando  de  Soto 

land  was  in  striking  contrast  to  De  Soto's.  He, 
too,  guided  by  the  lodestar  of  his  hopes,  had  gone 
to  the  New  World  in  quest  of  his  future.  He  had 
found  his  future  but  not  his  fortune ;  the  expedition 
had  been  a  fool's  errand,  and  he  had  come  back 
broken  in  health  and  in  wealth.  Massacre,  ship 
wreck,  starvation,  captivity,  and  hopeless  wanderings 
through  vast  unknown  savage  territories,  this  was 
the  tale  he  brought  back  to  Spain.  Pamphilo  de 
Narvaez  had  been  his  leader,  Florida  his  El  Dorado. 
Ten  years  afterwards  he  and  three  companions 
made  their  appearance  on  the  frontiers  of  Mexico, 
the  sole  survivors  of  the  six  hundred  men  who  had 
landed  on  the  coast  of  Florida.  Nevertheless  it 
was  observed  at  court  that  in  his  relation  of  his 
adventures,  Cabeza  de  Vaca  every  now  and  then 
would  arrest  his  words  suddenly,  as  if  on  guard 
against  revealing  secrets,  —  or  would  add  such 
phrases  as  "  The  rest  which  I  saw  I  leave  for 
conference  between  His  Majesty  and  myself."  To 
kinsmen  who  urged  him  to  be  more  explicit  he 
would  say  that  an  oath  bound  him  from  revealing 
what  he  saw,  but  that  Florida  was  the  richest  country 
in  the  world ;  and  he  gave  out  that  he  was  deter 
mined  to  beg  the  conquest  of  the  country  from  the 
emperor.  The  device  is  a  well-known  one,  but  as 
long  as  the  world  is  peopled,  its  success  may  be 
relied  upon. 

Hernando  de  Soto  unhesitatingly  threw  his  fort 
une  into  equipping  this  expedition.  Luis  de  Mos- 
coso,  Juan  de  Lobillo,  and  Nufio  de  Tobar  eagerly 


Hernando  de  Soto  9 

backed  him  with  their  prize  money  and  their  ser 
vices.  The  king,  who  himself,  from  Cabeza  de 
Vaca's  delusive  manner,  believed  that  Florida  was 
another  Mexico  or  Peru,  thought  De  Soto  another 
Cortez  or  Pizarro,  and  accorded  him  all  the  rights 
and  privileges  and  titles  necessary  or  useful  to  the 
Conquest.  He  named  him  governor  and  captain 
general  of  Florida,  with  the  title  of  Adelantado  for 
life,  and  the  office  of  lord  high  sheriff  in  continuity 
to  his  family;  he  gave  him  a  grant  of  two  hundred 
leagues  of  land  along  the  coast,  and  twelve  leagues 
square  in  the  interior,  of  his  own  choosing,  with  the 
right  of  importing  negro  slaves  into  it,  and  allowed 
him  one-seventh  of  the  ransom  and  the  spoil  of  all 
the  goods  of  any  cacique,  or  chief  captured.  He 
made  him  also  governor  of  Cuba,  and  as  a  last 
compliment,  knight  in  the  military  order  of  St.  lago. 
De  Soto  chose  his  old  companion  in  arms,  Luis 
de  Moscoso  d'Alvarado,  for  master  of  camp,  Nuno 
de  Tobar  for  lieutenant  general ;  Juan  d'Anasco, 
the  rich  Sevillian,  who  also  put  money  into  the  un 
dertaking,  was  appointed  royal  treasurer.  And  now 
the  news  was  spread  through  Spain  with  great  trum- 
petings  of  the  grants,  privileges,  titles,  and  prospects. 
Nothing  else  was  talked  about  in  city,  town,  and 
hamlet  but  how  Hernando  de  Soto  and  other 
conquerors  of  Peru,  not  content  with  their  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  ducats  of  spoils,  were  going  to  spend 
all  in  an  armament  for  a  new  conquest ;  and  while 
everybody  wondered  and  marvelled,  each  one  con 
fidently  held  that  this  second  conquest  must  indu- 


io  Hernando  de  Soto 

bitably  be  far  richer  and  greater  than  the  first. 
From  all  parts  of  Spain,  volunteers  flocked  to  get 
a  place  in  it,  —  cavaliers,  soldiers,  peasants,  labourers, 
artisans;  nephews  of  cardinals  and  ministers;  young 
relatives  of  De  Soto,  of  Luis  de  Moscoso,  and 
even  of  Cabeza  de  Vaca.  Those  who  had  money 
brought  it  with  them ;  others  sold  or  mortgaged 
estates  to  purchase  an  interest  in  the  investment. 
Peasants  parted  from  vineyards  and  farms,  artisans 
from  trades,  to  equip  themselves  with  a  horse  and 
a  lance.  Who  could  doubt  of  the  venture  when 
gold  and  silver  were  coming  in  by  the  ship-load 
from  the  New  World?  And  they  all  were  willing, 
say  the  chroniclers,  to  leave  home,  parents,  family, 
and  friends,  to  part  with  rents  and  estates,  sell  vine 
yards,  farms,  and  trades,  and  venture  life  on  the 
expectation  that  Florida  would  prove  richer  than 
Mexico  and  Peru. 

The  excitement  spreading  over  to  Portugal,  the 
cavalier,  Andreas  de  Vasconselas,  with  a  troop  of 
three  hundred  Portuguese  cavaliers,  all  finely 
mounted  and  equipped,  enlisted ;  and  they  were 
the  prettiest  company  in  the  expedition  ;  the  most 
soldierly.  All  the  returned  soldiers  from  Peru,  al 
ready  trained  and  whetted  for  conquest  and  plunder, 
eagerly  volunteered.  There  was  no  lack  of  choice ; 
more  came  than  could  be  taken,  and  when  De  Soto 
embarked  at  San  Lucar  de  Barrameda,  a  crowd 
of  disappointed  adventurers  was  left  on  the  quay, 
among  heaps  of  luggage  of  all  kinds,  for  there  was 
an  oversupply  of  provisions  also.  Money  had  been 


Hernando  de  Soto  n 

spent  so  lavishly  that  more  was  brought  than  the 
seven  large  ships  and  three  caravels  could  take.  In 
San  Lucar  it  was  said  that  a  finer  expedition  had 
never  left  that  part  for  the  New  World,  and  San 
Lucar  knew ;  for  since  the  time  of  Columbus  the 
water-gate  of  Seville  had  been  the  passageway  to 
the  New  World,  and  the  memory  of  a  middle-aged 
mariner  could  easily  hold  all  the  expeditions  that 
had  sailed  from  it.  The  fleet  set  sail  on  the  sixth 
of  April,  1538,  and  crossed  the  bar,  trumpets 
sounding.  Dona  Isabella,  the  true  daughter  of  her 
mother,  accompanied  her  husband. 

The  fleet  made  the  usual  stop  for  water  and  pro 
visions  at  the  Canary  Islands.  The  governor  of 
Gomara,  a  cousin  of  Dona  Isabella's,  entertained 
her  royally.  Living  with  him  was  a  daughter,  the 
Dona  Leonora  de  Bobadilla,  a  young  girl  of  six 
teen,  and  so  extremely  beautiful  that  Dona  Isabella 
begged  her  of  her  father  as  companion,  and  sailed 
away  with  her,  —  she  and  De  Soto  promising  for 
her  a  good  marriage  and  establishment  in  Cuba  or 
in  Florida.  Meeting  a  calm,  but  no  tempest,  the 
expedition  made  the  harbour  of  Santiago  de  Cuba 
in  due  order,  and  due  pleasure,  we  may  well  say, 
for  here  were  assembled  all  the  notables  of  the 
island  to  greet  and  welcome  the  new  governor  and 
his  bride.  The  welcome  lasted  for  three  months, 
with  banquets,  balls,  masquerades,  bull-fights,  and 
games,  with  prizes  of  gold  and  silver  for  the  gal 
lants,  as  if  celebrating  in  anticipation  the  triumphs 
of  conquest.  A  very  harvest  of  pleasure  and  tri- 


12  Hernando  de  Soto 

umph  it  was  to  the  Spanish  cavaliers  and  a  triumph 
of  conquest  too.  But,  above  all  others,  shone  the 
young  lieutenant  general,  the  handsome,  dashing 
Nuno  de  Tobar,  mounted  on  his  splendid  dapple 
grey  charger.  He  carried  off  all  prizes,  and  all 
hearts,  and  chief  prize  of  all,  the  heart  of  the  beau 
tiful  young  Dona  Leonora.  When  Dona  Isabella 
and  her  husband  discovered  the  romance,  it  had 
already  sped  to  a  secret  union.  The  young  cavalier 
hastened  to  make  the  reparation  of  a  public  celebra 
tion  of  his  nuptials ;  but  De  Soto's  displeasure  was 
implacable,  and  resenting  the  insult  to  his  family 
pride  and  dignity,  he  dispossessed  Nuno  de  Tobar 
of  his  title  and  office,  and,  in  truth,  would  never 
forgive  him,  nor  restore  him  to  favour. 

The  fleet  moved  round  the  island  to  Havana, 
and  the  summer  and  winter  were  passed  in  Cuba, 
while  still  further  provisions  and  preparations  were 
made  for  the  success  of  the  Conquest.  Two  more 
vessels  were  bought  and  loaded,  reinforcements  of 
Cubans  were  added  to  the  army,  and  horses  of  the 
fine  breed  that  this  island  was  then  producing  for 
the  trade  of  conquest. 

By  spring  all  was  ready  for  accomplishment,  even 
to  favourable  winds.  Installing  Dona  Isabella  as 
governor  of  Cuba  during  his  absence,  De  Soto  bade 
her  farewell,  and,  embarking  in  his  flag-ship,  the  San 
Cristoval,  sailed  out  of  her  sight  into  the  Gulf, 
toward  the  Land  of  Conquest. 


CHAPTER    II 

THE    BEGINNING    OF    CONQUEST 

THE  fleet  cruised  along  the  wavering  coast 
line  until  the  bay  marked  on  the  chart  as  the 
Bay  of  Juan  Ponce  was  discovered  rounding 
inland.  De  Soto  changed  the  name  to  Espiritu 
Santo,  in  honour  of  the  day,  and  by  sunset  he  had 
furled  sail  and  dropped  anchor  across  its  mouth. 
Barges  were  sent  out  in  the  morning  to  search 
for  a  channel  and  landing-place.  They  returned 
in  the  evening  loaded  with  greens  of  all  kinds  for 
the  horses.  The  vines  heavy  with  grapes  gave 
great  joy,  for  neither  in  Mexico  nor  in  Peru  had 
grapes  been  found.  The  week  passed  in  explora 
tion,  and  it  was  not  until  the  next  Sunday,  Trinity 
Sunday,  that  formal  possession  was  taken  of  the 
land ;  and  the  Spanish  banner  and  royal  arms  were 
raised  and  fixed  in  the  beach,  and  the  Conquest 
officially  begun  in  the  name  of  the  Church  and  the 
King.  The  rest  was  a  mere  question  of  human 
powers. 

The  three  hundred  soldiers  sent  ashore  for  the 
ceremony  scattered  over  the  beach,  carelessly  and 
easefully,  enjoying  their  first  taste  of  ownership 

'3 


14  Hernando  de  Soto 

of  so  beautiful  a  land.  As  far  as  eye  could  see, 
the  dark,  serried  forest  ran  to  the  right  and  left, 
God's  fence,  as  they  might  call  it,  about  their  vast 
property  of  inland  kingdoms,  cities,  treasure.  In 
front  stretched  the  sparkling  Gulf,  blue  as  another 
heaven.  The  fluttering  of  the  flag  of  his  Catholic 
Majesty,  the  soaring  of  a  bird  overhead,  the  glint 
of  a  fish  through  the  water — naught  else  to  fleck 
the  measureless  Sabbath  calm  ;  nor  had  there  been 
aught  else  during  the  past  week,  save  a  few  faint 
spirals  of  smoke  rising  here  and  there  in  the  hori 
zon —  camp-fires,  perhaps  signals.  At  nightfall, 
after  their  supper,  the  soldiers  stretched  themselves 
upon  the  ground  around  the  royal  standard  for 
their  first  sleep  upon  the  bosom  of  their  conquest. 
It  was  rudely  enough  broken.  Just  before  the 
grey  hour  of  dawn  there  burst  from  the  silent  black 
forest  a  tumult  that  might  have  come  from  hell ; 
cries  and  yells,  leaping  naked  forms,  and  arrows 
darting  like  a  tornado  of  serpents  through  the  air, 
and  slashing  into  the  flesh  like  knives.  Over 
whelmed  and  confused,  the  untrained  conquerors 
could  only  run  in  helpless  terror  down  the  beach 
and  out  into  the  water,  whence  their  trumpets  sent 
clamorous  calls  over  to  the  ships  for  help.  It 
came  promptly  ;  horse  and  foot  put  out  in  barges, 
and  before  the  savages  could  finish  theirt  victory, 
they  were  driven  back  into  the  forest,  and  Spain 
put  again  in  possession  of  the  beach. 

The  army  was  at  once  disembarked  and  camped 
around    the    standard,   but    the    Indians    made    no 


The  Beginning  of  Conquest  15 

further  demonstration.  After  a  few  days  of  rest 
it  marched  to  a  deserted  Indian  village  discovered 
on  the  shore  about  ten  miles  distant,  where  De  Soto 
decided  to  quarter  himself  for  the  present.  The 
village,  a  small  one,  consisting  only  of  one  row  of 
low  wooden  cabins,  thatched  with  palmetto,  stood 
about  an  open  space,  the  cabin  of  the  chief  on  a 
mound  at  one  end;  opposite,  on  another  mound, 
the  temple  bearing  its  wooden  effigy  of  a  fowl. 
The  Adelantado  with  his  staff  took  the  cabin  of 
the  chief,  the  officers  the  rest  of  the  cabins ;  the 
soldiers,  tearing  down  the  temple  and  gathering 
brush,  made  rude  shelters  for  themselves.  The 
ground  was  cleared  of  trees  and  underbrush  for  a 
crossbow-shot  around  the  village,  sentinels  were 
posted,  and  horsemen  ordered  on  regular  rounds, 
and  the  little  savage  hamlet  was  changed  into  a  trim 
military  Spanish  outpost.  The  vessels,  coming  in 
gradually  with  the  tide,  were  unloaded  and  the 
provisions  stored ;  details  were  sent  out  every  day 
to  capture  natives  for  guides  and  to  learn  some 
thing  of  the  country.  A  few  stragglers  were  caught 
in  the  forest,  but  without  interpreters  they  were 
almost  useless.  De  Soto  managed  to  understand 
from  them,  however,  that  the  village  he  was  in 
belonged  to  a  chief  named  Hirrihigua,  who,  warned 
of  the  approach  of  the  Spaniards,  had  taken  refuge 
with  all  his  people  in  the  forest.  These  captives 
were  always  set  at  liberty  with  presents  for  Hirri 
higua  and  messages  asking  for  friendship.  But  the 
savage  chief  would  none  of  them  —  neither  presents 


1 6  Hernando  de  Soto 

nor  messages.  On  the  contrary,  he  would  rail  at 
his  people  for  bringing  him  fair  words  and  promises 
from  Christians,  telling  them  to  fetch  him  no  pres 
ents,  but  to  bring  him  their  heads — these  he  would 
receive ;  but  until  then  he  wished  to  hear  neither 
their  words  nor  their  names.  So  much,  only,  could 
De  Soto  at  first  learn  :  that  Hirrihigua  knew  the 
Spaniards  and  hated  them. 

At  length,  however,  by  patience  and  painstaking 
he  gathered  from  the  Indians  the  explanation, — 
an  incident  of  Pamphilo  de  Narvaez's  expedition, 
which,  with  all  his  talking,  Cabeza  de  Vaca  had 
omitted.  When  Narvaez  landed  on  this  coast,  in 
this  bay,  Hirrihigua  received  him  and  treated  him 
as  a  friend;  but  the  Spaniard  acted  as  the  Spaniards 
(may  God  forgive  them  for  it,  say  the  pious  chroni 
clers)  too  often  did,  repaying  kindness  and  confi 
dence  with  treachery  and  cruelty.  He  seized  Hir 
rihigua  and  mutilated  him  vilely  by  cutting  off  his 
nose.  But  this  was  not  the  worst :  the  chiefs  old 
mother  he  had  thrown  to  the  dogs,  and  she  was 
devoured  before  the  eyes  of  her  son.  This  could 
not  be  forgotten  ;  it  had  haunted  the  memory  of 
Hirrihigua  ever  since,  driving  him  at  times  into 
the  wild  frenzy  of  one  possessed  by  the  evil  one. 
One,  and  only  one,  morsel  of  revenge  in  his  long- 
famished  craving  for  it  he  had  enjoyed.  A  Chris 
tian  ship  sailed  one  day  into  the  bay.  Divin 
ing  at  once  that  it  came  in  search  of  tidings  of 
Narvaez,  who  had  marched  into  the  forests  and 
had  nevermore  been  seen  or  heard  of  thereabouts, 


The  Beginning  of  Conquest  17 

Hirrihigua  sent  messages  to  it,  indicating  by  signs 
that  Narvaez  had  left  papers  there  to  be  given  to 
Christians  who  would  come  for  them.  In  proof, 
bits  of  paper  and  old  letters  found  in  the  Spanish 
camp  were  tied  to  sticks  and  held  up  from  the 
beach,  but  Hirrihigua  refused  to  give  them  up 
unless  the  Spaniards  came  in  person  for  them ;  the 
Spaniards,  on  their  guard,  were  afraid  to  trust  them 
selves  ashore.  Hirrihigua  then  sent  four  of  his 
warriors  to  remain  on  the  ship  as  hostages,  where 
upon  four  Spaniards  agreed  to  go  ashore,  paddling 
away  in  the  canoe  that  had  brought  the  warriors. 
But  the  canoe  had  barely  touched  the  sand,  when 
the  four  warriors  sprang  with  a  great  leap  from  the 
ships  into  the  water  and  swam  away  like  fish.  The 
four  Spaniards  were  dragged  off  in  triumph  into 
the  forest.  Hirrihigua  tortured  and  killed  three  of 
them ;  the  fourth  escaped  to  a  neighbouring  chief. 

When  bit  by  bit  the  story  pieced  itself  together 
in  the  camp  and  grew  into  a  clear  meaning  to  the 
soldiers,  that  a  Spaniard  was  even  then  living  in 
captivity  among  Indians,  neighbouring  to  Hirri 
higua  and  to  the  village,  there  was,  there  could  be, 
but  one  thought  among  all,  officers  and  men  — 
to  advance  no  further  step  in  the  conquest  until  he 
was  delivered.  The  Adelantado  at  once  sent  out 
two  detachments  of  horse  and  crossbowmen,  one 
under  Juan  de  Lobillo,  the  other  under  Balthazar 
de  Gallegos,  with  orders  to  go  in  different  direc 
tions  and  search  a  week  for  the  village  in  question. 
Juan  de  Lobillo  had  a  vexatious  time  of  it ;  his  route 


1 8  Hernando  de  Soto 

lay  through  bogs  and  swamps,  where  the  horses 
could  not  travel,  but  where  the  Indians  were  at 
their  best.  As  one  of  the  soldiers  described  them : 
"  Warlike  and  nimble  as  they  are,  they  care  not  a 
whit  for  any  footman.  When  we  charge,  they  run 
away  ;  and  as  soon  as  we  turn  our  backs,  they  are 
upon  us  again.  They  never  keep  still,  but  are 
always  running  about,  so  that  no  crossbow  nor 
arquebuse  can  be  aimed  at  them,  and  before  a  man 
of  us  can  make  one  shot,  they  make  six/'  Juan 
de  Lobillo  returned  at  the  end  of  his  time,  bringing 
six  men  wounded,  one  mortally,  with  nothing  gained 
but  four  frightened  Indian  women  captives. 

Balthazar  de  Gallegos  followed  his  guide  down 
a  smooth  open  road ;  but  after  a  time  the  Indian 
seemed  to  grow  uneasy  in  his  mind  and  uncertain 
in  his  conduct.  He  turned  from  the  road  into  the 
forest,  and  leading  the  troop  from  one  by-path  into 
another,  he  wandered  with  it  round  and  round 
aimlessly  ;  or,  he  might  have  been  seeking  a  swamp 
into  which  finally  to  leave  it  while  he  escaped.  The 
woods  thinning  a  little,  the  Spaniards  saw  the  masts 
of  the  ships  in  the  bay,  and  discovered  the  treachery. 
Gallegos  frightened  the  Indian  into  guiding  them 
back  into  the  right  road.  They  had  gone  but  a 
short  distance  when,  turning  into  an  open  plain, 
they  came  face  to  face  with  a  small  band  of  Indians. 
The  troopers,  all  eagerness  to  fight,  spurred  forward 
at  full  speed,  with  lances  set.  The  Indians  broke, 
darting  like  hares  into  the  leafy  coverts  of  the  forest. 
The  horsemen  overtook  only  two:  they  lanced  one 


"Sevilla!   Sevilla  !" 


The  Beginning  of  Conquest  19 

in  the  back  just  as  he  was  running  into  the  woods ; 
the  other,  turning,  warded  off  with  his  bow  the 
lance  thrust  aimed  at  him,  making  a  great  sign  of 
the  cross  in  the  air,  crying  out  "  Sevilla  !  Sevilla  !  " 
"  Are  you  a  Spaniard  ? "  called  out  the  astonished 
pursuer.  "  Yes,  yes,"  answered  the  man. 

The  lancer  was  Alvaro  Nieto,  the  strongest  and 
most  athletic  man  in  the  army.  Drawing  rein,  he 
stooped  down,  picked  up  the  man  with  one  hand, 
threw  him  over  the  saddle  and  galloped  off  with 
him  to  the  commander,  his  comrades  following 
with  the  wounded  Indian.  Balthazar  de  Gallegos, 
after  putting  a  few  questions  to  the  prisoner,  turned 
his  troop,  and  rode  at  full  speed  back  to  the  camp. 


CHAPTER    III 

JUAN    ORTIZ 

IT  was  late  in  the  night.  The  camp  lay  in  the 
silence  of  sleep.  The  sound  of  horse  galloping 
through  it  roused  it  up  into  wild  alarm.  The 
Adelantado  and  his  officers  rushed  to  the  front  of 
their  quarters,  sure  that  some  disaster  had  happened 
to  one  of  the  detachments,  for  neither  was  expected 
for  several  days.  The  troop  galloped  straight 
through  the  village  to  the  mound  and  dismounted, 
Balthazar  de  Gallegos  calling  out  to  calm  the  alarm. 
Up  the  mound  and  into  the  great  square  room  of 
Hirrihigua's  cabin  he  brought  the  Spanish  captive 
and  placed  him  before  the  Adelantado  and  his  cava 
liers.  Naked,  sun-scorched,  emaciated,  scarred,  the 
poor  wretch  seemed  no  better  than  a  savage,  and 
he  looked  like  one.  He  had  almost  forgotten  his 
own  mother-tongue,  his  words  came  hard  and  strange 
to  him,  and  he  helped  himself  along  with  gestures 
like  the  Indians.  He  was  asked  for  his  story. 
His  name,  he  began,  was  Juan  Ortiz.  His  capture 
and  that  of  his  three  companions  took  place  as  the 
Indians  had  related.  Dragged  through  the  forest  to 
this  very  village,  Hirrihigua's  village,  they  soon 


20 


Juan  Ortiz  21 

found  out  into  whose  hands  they  had  fallen,  and 
for  what  deed  they  were  to  atone  with  their  lives ; 
and  kept  under  careful  guard,  they  saw  the  prepara 
tions  go  gleefully  forward  for  the  great  feast  of  all 
the  tribe,  at  which  their  death  was  to  be  the  enter 
tainment.  The  day  came;  they  were  stripped  and 
one  by  one  driven  into  the  open  space,  out  there ; 
warriors  with  their  bows  and  arrows  surrounded  it 
like  a  fence.  One  by  one  three  of  the  captives 
were  chased  to  death  like  wild  beasts,  the  warriors 
not  shooting  pointed  arrows,  for  that  would  have 
killed  them  too  soon,  but  blunt  ones,  which  pro 
longed  the  agony,  —  and  pleasure.  Hirrihigua  all 
the  while  stood  aloof,  gloating  over  the  sight  of 
his  victims  fleeing  hither  and  thither,  from  one  side 
of  the  square  to  the  other,  seeking  for  some  refuge, 
shelter,  succour,  but  rinding  none ;  rinding  nothing 
but  pitiless  death.  At  last  came  the  turn  of  the 
fourth,  Juan  Ortiz,  a  lad  barely  eighteen  years  of 
age.  He  was  driven  into  the  square,  and  the  sport 
of  killing  him  was  about  to  begin  when  a  squaw, 
the  wife  of  Hirrihigua,  followed  by  her  three  daugh 
ters,  ran  across  the  open  space  to  her  husband  and 
with  violent  gestures  loudly  begged  him  to  spare  the 
boy,  to  be  content  with  the  death  of  three  men ; 
that  the  boy  was  almost  a  child  ;  his  youth  cried  to 
him  for  mercy;  he  had  not  shared  in  the  guilt  of 
Narvaez;  it  would  be  enough  punishment  to  make 
him  a  slave. 

The  chief,  who  loved  his  squaw,  listened  to  her, 
and  spared  Juan's  life ;   but  he  made  it  so  bitter  for 


22  Hernando  dc  Soto 

him  that,  in  truth,  fhe  boy  often  envied  the  fate 
of  his  companions.  For  what  with  the  continual 
labour  of  fetching  wood  and  water,  the  scant  food  and 
sleep,  and  the  constant  buffetings,  cudgellings,  and 
beatings  he  received,  if  he  had  not  been  a  Christian, 
he  said,  he  would  have  put  an  end  to  himself  to  get 
out  of  his  misery.  And  on  every  feast  day  he 
would  have  to  play  wild  beast  for  the  amusement 
of  Hirrihigua,  and  be  chased  and  pelted  by  arrows 
all  day  long,  from  sunrise  to  sunset.  Even  when 
Hirrihigua  went  to  his  meals,  he  left  warriors  on 
the  watch  to  shoot  at  him  and  keep  him  running. 
When  the  sun  went  down,  and  Juan  lay  panting  on 
the  earth  like  a  dog,  all  that  kept  him  in  life  was 
the  kindness  of  the  chief's  wife  and  her  daughters. 
They  would  come  to  him  and  tend  him  and  care  for 
him,  bring  him  food  and  speak  soft  words  to  him. 
And  it  seemed,  because  his  cruelties  and  torments 
did  not  kill  the  boy,  Hirrihigua's  hatred  of  him 
grew  fiercer  and  fiercer  and  more  ungovernable. 
One  day  it  suddenly  determined  him  to  put  an  end 
to  Juan  at  once.  He  ordered  a  great  fire  to  be 
built  in  the  square,  and  a  barbecue  made.  This 
was  a  frame  like  a  bedstead  standing  about  three 
feet  from  the  ground.  When  the  fire  had  burnt  to 
a  bed  of  coals,  he  had  Juan  seized,  stretched  and 
bound  upon  the  barbecue,  which  was  then  set  over 
the  red  coals.  At  the  cries  of  agony  the  burning 
drew  from  him,  the  squaw  of  the  chief,  with  her 
daughters,  rushed  out  to  the  spot.  The  wife  did 
not  know  of  the  intentions  of  her  husband.  When 


Juan  Ortiz  23 

she  saw  what  was  being  done,  she  threw  herself 
upon  the  frame,  and  tore  it  from  the  fire,  berating 
the  warriors  and  her  husband  for  their  cruelty,  and 
begging  them  for  mercy,  all  in  one  breath.  She 
and  her  daughters  loosened  the  boy  from  the  frame. 
He  was  already  half  roasted;  the  flesh  from  the  ribs 
stuck  to  the  barbecue  and  peeled  away  from  him, 
like  the  rind  from  an  orange,  the  blood  gushing  out 
pitifully  in  streams. 

The  chief  again  let  his  wife  have  her  way ;  per 
haps  he  was  rather  glad  of  an  interruption  that  pre 
served  a  precious  subject  for  cruelty,  for  he  had 
often  regretted  aloud  that  he  had  killed  the  other 
Spaniards  so  quickly  instead  of  keeping  them  for  his 
longer  enjoyment.  The  women  took  Juan  into 
their  cabin  and  dressed  his  wounds  with  herbs,  their 
hearts  moved  with  great  pity  for  the  state  they  found 
him  in.  They  themselves,  when  they  saw  all  the 
pain  and  misery  inflicted  upon  him,  had  more  than 
once  repented  saving  him  from  death  that  first  time. 
After  days  and  days  of  nursing  and  suffering,  Juan 
was  seemingly  cured,  although  his  wounds  never 
entirely  healed,  but  remained  sore  and  fresh.  Then 
Hirrihigua,  to  rid  himself  of  the  constant  prayers 
of  his  wife,  and  her  of  the  sight  of  the  sufferings 
of  the  boy,  found  a  new  form  of  persecution  for 
him.  He  set  him  to  guard  the  burial-place  of 
the  village.  This  was  an  open  field  in  the  depths 
of  a  dense  forest,  far  distant  from  the  village  —  a 
lonely,  isolated  spot,  with  no  sight  or  sound  of 
human  habitation.  The  bodies  were  laid  in  wooden 


24  Hernando  dc  Soto 

boxes,  resting  flat  upon  the  ground,  and  covered 
only  with  loose  timbers  held  down  by  stones. 
Every  night  beasts  of  prey  from  the  forests  would 
come  prowling  among  the  boxes,  and  again  and 
again  would  force  them  open  and  carry  off  a  corpse, 
to  the  great  grief  and  humiliation  of  the  village. 
Hirrihigua  gave  Juan  four  darts  to  defend  the  place 
with,  and  swore  to  him  that  if  he  allowed  one  corpse 
to  be  carried  off  he  should  be  burned  alive  this 
time  without  fail.  Juan's  only  feeling  was  one  of 
gratitude  to  Providence  for  delivering  him  from  the 
presence  of  Hirrihigua,  and  he  feared  not  but  that 
he  would  fare  better  with  the  dead  than  with  the 
living. 

He  kept  good  watch  and  was  getting  along  well 
until,  one  night,  not  able  to  fight  any  longer  against 
his  drowsiness,  he  fell  asleep  just  before  dawn, 
which  always  seems  to  be  the  time  for  sleep  to  exert 
its  greatest  power  against  watchers.  The  noise  of 
a  falling  cover  awoke  him.  Running  to  the  burial- 
chests,  he  found  that  the  body  of  a  child  brought 
there  two  days  before  was  gone.  He  gave  himself 
up  for  lost.  Dawn  was  near,  and  every  day  as 
soon  as  it  was  light  Indians  came  from  the  village 
to  see  if  the  bodies  were  all  there.  But  he  quickly 
determined  to  do  what  he  could  to  find  the  body 
and  kill  the  animal,  or  be  killed  by  it.  He  ran 
wildly  and  vainly  here  and  there  through  the  woods 
in  his  despair,  making  up  his  mind  to  attempt 
flight,  although  he  knew  that  escape  was  impossible, 
when,  hark  !  he  heard  a  noise  like  the  crunching 


Juan  Ortiz  25 

of  bones.  Listening  with  all  his  might,  and  creep 
ing  slowly,  slowly  forward,  he  came  to  a  clump  of 
bushes ;  beyond  them,  through  the  dim  light,  he 
saw  the  figure  of  an  animal  crouching.  Calling 
upon  God,  and  summoning  all  his  strength,  he 
threw  one  of  his  darts.  He  waited  and  listened. 
It  was  too  dark  to  see  what  kind  of  a  shot  he  had 
made ;  he  only  knew,  as  hunters  do  at  night  when 
they  cannot  see,  by  the  feeling  in  his  palm  that  it 
was  not  a  bad  one.  He  waited  and  listened ;  the 
animal  did  not  move.  Hope  began  to  rise  within 
him  as,  the  creature  still  not  moving,  he  waited 
and  listened,  and  watched  for  daylight.  And  so 
daylight  found  him,  and  showed  him  the  animal 
dead  with  a  dart  through  its  heart,  the  little  corpse 
in  its  paws.  Although  he  saw  it,  Juan  could  not 
believe  his  eyes.  Beside  himself  with  glad  relief, 
he  ran  quickly,  put  the  corpse  back  into  the  chest, 
and  then,  taking  the  brute  by  one  of  the  feet,  he 
dragged  it  along,  with  the  dart  still  sticking  in  it,  to 
the  village. 

His  elation  was  not  greater  than  that  of  the 
Indians  over  the  feat;  for  it  was  a  wonderful  one 
to  them,  and  they  marvelled  over  it  and  praised 
him  well  for  it.  At  so  fine  a  stroke  of  good  fort 
une,  the  wife  and  daughters  of  Hirrihigua  plucked 
up  courage  and  began  again  upon  the  chief,  try 
ing  to  persuade  him  that,  as  Juan  had  proved  him 
self  so  valiant,  he  should  be  employed  in  ways  better 
fitting  to  his  strength  and  courage.  And  Hirri 
higua  for  a  while  followed  this  advice,  and  treated 


26  Hernando  de  Soto 

Juan  far  better  than  he  had  ever  done.  But  every 
time  it  was  recalled  to  him  that  he  had  no  nose, 
that  it  had  been  cut  off,  his  rage  would  break  out 
afresh,  and  this  would  bring  back  the  memory  of 
his  mother,  and  he  would  wax  wild  and  furious 
again,  and  even  though  he  tried  to  control  himself, 
he  could  not,  the  desire  for  revenge  so  maddened 
him.  At  last  he  told  his  wife  and  daughters  that 
he  could  stand  it  no  longer ;  that  it  was  impossi 
ble  for  him  to  live  and  suffer  the  Christian  to  live; 
that  they  must  never  again  intercede  for  him  unless 
they  wished  to  share  in  the  hatred  he  felt  for  the 
youth,  for  he  was  decided  now  to  put  an  end  to 
him  once  and  forever,  to  have  him  shot  to  death 
like  his  companions,  at  the  next  feast.  The  wife 
and  daughters,  seeing  that  this  was  the  truth,  and 
that  now,  indeed,  no  more  mercy  was  to  be  hoped 
for,  submissively  told  the  chief  that,  as  he  wished 
so,  so  it  should  be.  Nevertheless,  a  few  days  before 
the  feast  the  eldest  daughter  took  Juan  secretly 
aside  and  warned  him  of  the  fixed  resolution  of  her 
father.  "  But,"  said  she,  "  if  you  are  a  man,  and 
have  the  courage  to  fly  to-night,  I  can  still  save 
you;"  and  naming  an  hour  and  place,  she  con 
tinued  :  "  You  will  find  an  Indian  whom  you  can 
trust.  He  will  guide  you  through  the  swamp  to  a 
bridge.  When  you  get  there,  send  him  back  in  time 
to  reach  here  before  daylight,  so  that  he  may  not  be 
missed,  and  my  daring  to  help  you  may  not  become 
known,  to  bring  evil  upon  him  and  me.  Beyond 
that  bridge  a  road  leads  to  the  village  of  a  chief 


Juan  Ortiz  27 

who  wants  me  for  his  wife.  His  name  is  Mucozo. 
Tell  him  from  me  that  I  send  you  to  him  in  this 
last  need  for  him  to  help  and  protect  you.  And 
now  put  yourself  in  the  hands  of  your  God,  —  for  I 
can  do  no  more  for  you."  .  .  .  Juan  threw  him 
self  at  her  feet  and  kissed  her  hands  in  gratitude  for 
her  pity  and  kindness  then  and  always  ;  and  that 
night,  he  met  the  guide  at  the  hour  and  place 
named,  and  following  her  instructions,  sent  him 
back  from  the  bridge. 

Speeding,  as  one  fleeing  from  sure  death,  he 
reached  Mucozo's  village  before  day,  and  waited  on 
the  outskirts  until  light,  when  he  saw  two  warriors 
leave  it  and  come  his  way.  At  sight  of  him  they 
put  their  arrows  to  their  bows,  but  when  they  heard 
his  message,  they  sent  word  to  their  chief,  who 
came  at  once.  Mucozo  was  a  young  warrior  about 
twenty-six,  handsome  of  face  and  figure,  with  a 
noble  address.  Juan  hurriedly  told  his  story  of 
Hirrihigua's  torments,  showing  in  proof  the  marks 
upon  his  body,  the  welts  and  scars  and  running  sores 
from  the  burning,  and  telling  how  that  now,  there 
being  no  more  hope  for  mercy  for  him,  the  eldest 
daughter,  as  a  last  and  only  means,  had  sent  him  to 
beg  Mucozo's  help  and  protection.  The  young 
chief  listened  and  looked  with  pity.  He  could  see 
Juan's  proofs  easily  enough,  for  the  Spaniard  went 
as  the  savages,  with  no  other  covering  than  a  cloth 
around  his  waist. 

When  Juan  came  to  the  end  of  his  message, 
Mucozo  kissed  him  on  the  cheek,  the  Indian  token 


28  Hernando  de  Soto 

of  friendship,  and  told  him  that  he  would  do  for 
him  all  that  he  could,  of  that  to  be  certain.  And 
what  Mucozo  promised  he  performed.  He  kept 
Juan  with  him,  treating  him  like  a  brother,  and  a 
dearly  loved  one.  And  although  Hirrihigua  sent 
again  and  again  for  his  slave,  the  young  chief  always 
put  off  the  messenger  with  excuses,  and  at  last  sent 
answer  that  he  would  not  give  up  Juan,  and  that 
the  loss  of  so  hated  a  slave  could  be  but  a  small 
one  to  so  great  a  chief.  Hirrihigua  then  induced 
Mucozo's  brother-in-law,  Urribarricuxi,  a  powerful 
neighbouring  chief,  to  demand  Juan;  but  Mucozo 
answered  him  also  that  it  did  not  beseem  a  chief  of 
spirit  and  courage  to  deliver  up  a  poor  wretch  to  an 
enemy  to  be  hunted  to  death  like  a  wild  beast,  And 
so  Juan  had  lived  with  him  ever  since.  And  that 
morning  Mucozo  had  called  him  and  said  to  him, 
"  You  must  know,  my  brother,  that  in  the  village  of 
your  good  friend,  Hirrihigua,  is  a  Christian  general 
with  a  thousand  warriors  and  a  great  number  of 
horses,  come  to  conquer  the  country.  You  know  all 
I  have  done  for  you.  Now  you  must  go  to  the  Chris 
tian  general,  and  pray  him,  from  me  and  from  you, 
in  return  for  the  good  I  did  you,  not  to  harm  me 
and  my  people  in  this  one  little  piece  of  land  we 
possess.  Take  warriors  with  you,  and  look  out  for 
their  safety,  as  our  friendship  obliges  you  to  do." 
Juan  Ortiz  thanking  God  in  his  heart  for  the  news, 
assured  Mucozo  that  he  would  give  the  Spaniards 
such  an  account  of  his  kindness  as  would  make  the 
whole  army  his  friends ;  and  overjoyed  almost  past 


Juan  Ortiz  29 

reason  at  the  wonderful  prospect  of  deliverance,  he 
set  out  at  once  upon  the  road  to  find  the  Spaniards 
on  the  very  morning  that  the  Spaniards  set  out  to 
find  him. 

When  the  cavaliers  and  officers  had  heard  Juan's 
story  to  the  end,  when  they  looked  upon  his  poor 
naked  body,  —  the  side  that  had  been  against  the  fire 
one  great  burn  and  foul  running  sores,  —  tenderness 
and  compassion  overcame  them,  and  the  Adelantado, 
rising  and  going  to  him  embraced  him,  as  if  he  had 
been  a  son,  thanking  God  for  returning  him  again 
to  his  people.  And  all  the  officers  embraced  him 
with  tears  and  emotion.  The  Adelantado  com 
manded  that  without  the  loss  of  an  hour's  time 
messengers  should  be  sent  in  the  name  of  the 
emperor  and  king  of  Spain,  and  in  his  own  name, 
and  that  of  his  officers,  and  of  all  Spaniards,  to 
thank  Mucozo  for  his  bountiful  kindness  to  Juan, 
and  to  assure  him  of  their  unending  friendship, 
and  to  pray  him  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  camp,  that 
they  might  all  see  and  know  him  and  thank  him 
and  honour  him  in  person. 

There  was  no  sleep  in  camp  the  rest  of  that 
night,  for  there  was  not  a  soldier  in  it  but  wanted  to 
embrace  and  greet  Juan,  to  hear  his  story,  see  his 
scars  and  drink  his  health,  and  thank  God  over 
him  as  over  a  brother.  But  none  thanked  God  as 
Juan  did,  or  shed  such  tears  of  joy. 

The  next  day  clothing  was  given  him,  the  Ade 
lantado  himself  presenting  him  with  doublet  and 
hose  of  fine  black  velvet.  But  from  long  habit  of 


jo  Hernando  de  Soto 

going  naked  Juan  could  not  wear  them  ;  for  over 
twenty  days  he  could  not  bear  anything  on  his  skin 
except  the  loosest  linen  covering. 

Two  days  later,  Mucozo,  in  answer  to  the  invita 
tion  sent  him,  made  his  appearance  with  a  retinue 
of  warriors.  To  the  Adelantado's  graceful  acknow 
ledgments  and  the  handsome  speeches  of  the  cava 
liers  he  answered  through  Juan  as  gracefully  and 
handsomely  as  any  of  them,  that  he  had  only  done 
what  his  self-respect  commanded,  and  that  Juan, 
even  without  other  recommendation,  was,  on  account 
of  his  virtue  and  courage,  worthy  of  all  the  consider 
ation  he  had  received ;  that  in  sending  him  to  De 
Soto,  he  had  acted  for  his  own  benefit,  so  there  was 
no  occasion  for  thanks  or  gratitude  for  that.  The 
cavaliers  who  saw  and  knew  Mucozo  and  told 
about  him  in  Spain,  always  closed  their  relation  of 
him  with :  "  For  grace  and  discretion,  polish  of 
manner  and  high-flowing  language,  this  savage 
chief  had  nothing  to  learn  from  the  courts  of  kings 
and  emperors." 


CHAPTER   IV 

THE    MARCH    INLAND 

THE  fleet  being  unloaded,  and  the  supplies 
stored,  the  large  ships  were  sent  back  to  Ha 
vana  ;  the  caravels  were  kept  for  the  service 
of  the  army.  And  now  the  Adelantado  was  ready 
to  penetrate  inland,  into  that  vast  and  unknown  in 
terior,  imagination  of  which  had  armed  and  equipped 
this  expedition.  Proclamation  was  made  for  the  army 
to  prepare  to  march,  and  at  the  end  of  three  days 
Luis  de  Moscoso  had  it  drawn  out  in  regular  order, 
— '  vanguard,  rear-guard,  centre, — the  baggage  train 
packed.  Pedro  Calderon,  a  cavalier  and  good  sol 
dier,  who  enjoyed  the  glory  of  having  served  as  a 
boy  under  the  great  Gonzalvo  of  Cordova,  was  ap 
pointed  commander  of  the  small  garrison  to  be  left 
in  charge  of  the  village  and  caravels. 

The  march  was  northeast,  for  in  that  direction, 
according  to  Juan  Ortiz  and  the  Indian  captives,  lay 
the  best  provisioned  lands.  And  pleasant  enough 
the  march  was  for  about  one  hundred  and  fifteen 
miles.  The  more  the  Spaniards  saw  of  the  country, 
the  more  they  liked  it.  How  could  it  be  other 
wise,  or  what  better  could  they  have  asked?  The 

31 


3  2  Hernando  de  Soto 

soil  was  rich  beyond  expectation,  with  magnificent 
forests  of  oak,  pine,  mulberry,  and  other  handsome 
trees  that  they  did  not  know,  and  all  were  wreathed 
with  vines,  drooping  with  luxuriant  clusters  of 
grapes.  The  soldiers  stepped  along  elated  and 
merry,  every  glance  of  the  eye  as  it  were  bringing 
them  good  news.  They  left  the  territory  of  Hirri- 
higua  and  entered  that  of  Urribarricuxi,  the  brother- 
in-law,  as  has  been  mentioned,  of  the  courtly  and 
generous  Mucozo.  His  village  was  deserted  and 
abandoned,  chief  and  people  having  fled  into  the 
forest.  Like  Hirrihigua,  Urribarricuxi  would  make 
no  answer  to  the  messages  of  De  Soto ;  he  kept  in 
his  hiding-place  and  would  not  be  tempted  out 
either  for  peace  or  for  war. 

As  the  village  was  large  and  well  stored  with  pro 
visions,  the  army  remained  there  a  week,  while  scouts 
reconnoitred  the  country  ahead  of  the  line  of  march. 
They  found  a  great  swamp  which  seemed  to  be  an 
impenetrable  barrier  against  further  advance  to  the 
north ;  but  when  the  army  set  out  again,  De  Soto 
marched  straight  to  it  and  pushed  through  it  in 
two  days  and  camped  in  a  beautiful  plain  beyond. 
And  now  his  scouts  returned,  saying  that  the 
swamp  just  passed  through  was  child's  play  to  the 
one  that  lay  ahead,  —  one  that  it  would  be  utterly 
impossible  to  penetrate  ;  the  mother  swamp,  they 
called  it,  of  a  group  of  smaller  swamps,  that  held  a 
vast  region  in  a  state  of  impassable  mire. 

The  Adelantado  saw  that  he  must  be  his  own 
scout.  Taking  a  troop  of  horsemen  and  some  Indian 


The  March  Inland  33 

guides,  he  set  out,  leaving  Luis  de  Moscoso  to  fol 
low  with  the  army  when  he  sent  him  word.  Decid 
ing  to  try  for  a  passage  in  another  direction,  he 
retraced  his  steps  across  the  swamp  just  crossed,  and 
travelled  for  three  days  round  the  edge  of  it,  send 
ing  out  scouts  at  regular  intervals  to  push  through 
the  dense  growth,  looking  for  some  opening  or  foot 
path  used  by  the  Indians.  No  path  was  found,  but 
Indians  were  in  abundance.  They  infested  the  place 
like  mosquitoes,  swarming  out  with  sudden  fury, 
shooting  a  volley  of  arrows  and  disappearing  almost 
before  they  were  seen  ;  and  indeed  against  the  ar 
mour  of  the  Spanish  horsemen  the  arrows  were  but 
little  more  harmful  than  mosquito  stings.  A  few 
captives  were  taken  and  forced  to  act  as  guides,  but 
they  guided  like  captives  and  enemies,  leading  amiss 
and  astray.  De  Soto  had  four  of  them  thrown  to 
the  dogs,  for  these  bloody  executioners  with  teeth 
well  fleshed  and  appetites  kept  keen  by  starvation 
were  carried  along  on  every  reconnoissance.  They 
soon  made  an  end  of  the  four  Indians  and  their 
patriotism.  A  fifth,  in  terror  of  a  like  fate,  offered 
to  guide  faithfully.  He  did  so,  and  the  Spaniards 
saw  how  hopeless  would  have  been  their  search  with 
out  him.  He  led  them  clear  away  from  where  they 
were  and  set  them  in  a  clean,  smooth,  broad  road, 
running  outside  and  making  a  circuit  of  the  swamp. 
Following  this  about  four  leagues  they  came  to  a 
bayou  of  clear  water.  Plunging  into  it,  the  guide 
led  on  through  water  breast  high,  but  over  a  firm 
bottom,  until  they  came  to  a  channel  about  a  hun- 


34  Hernando  de  Soto 

dred  paces  wide  which  was  too  deep  to  wade.  Here 
the  Indians  had  made  a  crossing  by  cutting  trees 
from  the  opposite  sides  and  fastening  the  ends 
together.  Over  this  same  bridge  the  guide  said 
Narvaez  and  his  army  had  passed  ten  years  before. 
It  was  overgrown  with  bushes  and  vines.  Calling 
for  Diego  de  Moreno  and  Pedro  de  Oliva,  the 
Adelantado  commanded  them  to  take  their  hatchets 
and  clear  the  obstructions.  The  men  were  native 
Cuban  mesticoes  (half-breeds  of  Indian  and  Spanish 
parentage),  great  comrades  and  the  best  swimmers 
in  the  army.  They  sprang  forward  to  the  task, 
but  were  hardly  upon  the  bridge  before  canoes  of 
Indians  dashed  out  from  the  bushes  on  the  further 
bank,  sending  clouds  of  arrows  whizzing  at  them. 
With  a  high  curve  through  the  air  the  mesticoes 
leaped  into  the  water,  and  diving  deep,  swam  under 
it  to  the  bank,  the  arrows  pattering  above  them. 
The  Indians,  as  if  satisfied,  then  paddled  away  as 
quickly  as  they  had  advanced. 

Much  pleased  at  having  found  what  he  had 
determined  to  find,  De  Soto,  without  a  moment's 
delay,  turned  for  a  messenger  to  take  his  orders  to 
Luis  de  Moscoso.  Casting  his  eye  over  his  cava 
liers,  he  called  out  to  Gonzalo  Silvestre,  and  gave 
him  this  command  in  a  loud  voice  before  the  whole 
troop  :  "  Gonzalo  Silvestre,  luck  has  given  you  the 
best  horse  in  the  army,  but  it  was  in  order  for  you 
to  do  the  most  work  with  it;  and  therefore,  I  shall 
have  to  put  upon  you  the  hardest  tasks  that  come 
in  our  way ;  so  take  patience  and  prepare  yourself 


The  March  Inland  35 

for  them.  Now  you  must  know  that  our  lives  and 
the  Conquest  require  you  to  return  this  night  to 
the  camp,  to  tell  Luis  de  Moscoso  that  we  have 
found  the  passage  through  and  that  he  must  march 
forward  to  join  us.  And  he  must  send  you  back 
at  once  with  some  biscuit  and  cheese  for  us ;  for 
as  you  know  we  are  hungry  and  in  sore  need  of 
food.  And  that  you  may  come  more  safely  than 
you  go,  order  him  to  send  along  tWenty  lancers  to 
protect  you  on  the  road.  I  shall  wait  for  you  here 
until  to-morrow  night,  when  you  must  be  back,  even 
though  the  road  seem  hard  and  long  and  the  time 
short.  I  know  whom  I  am  trusting.  And  that 
you  may  not  go  alone,  take  any  companion  that 
best  suits  you ;  and  be  quick  about  it,  so  as  to  be 
in  the  camp  by  dawn  to-morrow ;  for  if  daylight 
catches  you  in  the  swamp,  the  Indians  will  surely 
never  let  you  get  out  of  it  alive." 

Without  a  word,  Gonzalo  Silvestre  turned, 
mounted  his  horse  and  rode  off.  Passing  by  Juan 
Lopez  Cacho,  a  page  of  De  Soto's,  who  also  had  a 
good  horse,  he  drew  rein  to  say :  "  The  governor 
orders  you  and  me  to  go  on  a  message  from  him  to 
the  camp  before  daylight,  so  follow  me  at  once,  for 
I  am  on  the  way."  "  On  my  life ! "  said  Juan 
Lopez,  "  I  cannot  go,  I  am  tired ;  take  some  one 
else."  "  The  governor  ordered  me  to  choose  a  com 
panion  ;  I  choose  you.  If  you  will  come,  come  and 
welcome ;  if  not,  stay  where  you  are,  for  going  two 
together  will  not  lessen  the  danger,  nor  going  one 
alone  increase  the  toil."  And  Gonzalo  Silvestre, 


36  Hernando  de  Soto 

spurring  his  horse,  rode  on.  Juan  Lopez  Cacho, 
cursing  his  luck,  jumped  on  his  horse  and  fol 
lowed. 

The  sun  was  just  setting.  They  were  both 
youths,  hardly  over  eighteen  years  old,  and  soon, 
light-hearted  enough,  they  were  trotting  over  the 
first  miles  of  their  journey,  for  the  road  was  clear 
and  free  of  Indians  ;  but  when  they  struck  the  low 
marshy  places  the  troop  had  just  struggled  through, 
the  bogs,  thickets,  and  canebrakes,  the  slow  bayous 
oozing  in  and  out  of  the  great  swamp,  their  troubles 
began.  There  was  no  regular  road  or  path  to  fol 
low,  and  knowing  nothing  of  the  country,  they 
could  not  go  round  or  avoid  the  bad  places  for  fear 
of  getting  lost,  but  were  forced  to  follow  the  track 
made  by  the  troop  two  days  before,  looking  out  for 
what  marks  and  signs  they  could  remember.  Night 
fell,  and  soon  in  the  gloomy  forest  they  could  not 
see  anything  distinctly.  And  now,  the  risk  of  being 
caught  by  the  Indians  was  so  great  that  nothing 
could  have  saved  them  if  they  had  not  been  helped 
by  the  marvellous  instinct  of  their  horses.  As  if 
possessed  of  human  understanding  and  reason,  they, 
so  soon  as  they  saw  that  their  riders  could  not  guide 
them,  set  themselves  of  their  own  wills  to  trace 
the  road,  thrusting  their  nostrils  to  the  ground, 
and  like  hounds  or  setters,  scenting  the  trail.  The 
men  at  first  not  catching  their  meaning,  pulled 
again  and  again  at  the  reins,  but  the  horses  would 
not  lift  their  heads  from  the  ground,  except  when 
they  lost  the  scent,  then  raising  and  tossing  them, 


The  March  Inland  37 

they  would  snort  so  loudly  that  it  seemed  certain 
they  must  be  heard  by  the  Indians. 

The  horse  of  Silvestre  was  surer  on  the  trail  and 
quicker  to  find  it  when  it  was  lost  than  the  other 
one.  But  that  was  not  astonishing,  for  he  was 
indeed,  by  every  sign  that  nature  gives,  a  per 
fect  horse,  either  for  peace  or  for  war.  A  dark 
chestnut  he  was,  with  a  white  stocking  on  his  left 
hind  foot,  white  marks  on  his  forehead,  and  a 
white  rim  around  his  mouth.  The  horse  of  Juan 
Lopez  was  a  light  bay,  with  black  feet ;  an  extremely 
good  horse  too,  but  not  to  be  compared  with  the 
chestnut,  which  took  the  lead  and  kept  it.  Recogniz 
ing  at  last  the  good  sense  of  the  animals,  their  riders 
gave  them  full  rein  and  let  them  do  as  they  would, 
without  opposition  or  protest.  And  so  the  youths 
journeyed  on  through  the  slow  black  hours  of  the 
night,  nearly  dropping  from  their  saddles  from 
fatigue  and  sleep  and  hunger,  for  during  three  days 
they  had  had  no  rest,  and  nothing  to  eat  but  the 
corn-stalks  they  gathered  as  they  rode  through  the 
fields  of  the  Indians.  And  their  horses  were  not 
much  better  off;  for  during  the  same  length  of  time 
they  had  not  been  unsaddled,  and  the  bits  had  only 
been  taken  out  of  their  mouths  to  let  them  eat. 
And  now,  as  the  youths  felt  their  way  along,  see 
ing  nothing  as  they  said  but  death  looking  them 
straight  in  the  face,  camp-fires  began  to  glimmer 
through  the  trees,  to  the  right  and  left.  Some 
times  pictured  in  a  great  circle  of  light,  bands  of 
Indians  would  be  seen  feasting  and  dancing  and 


3 8  Hernando  de  Soto 

merry-making,  and  sometimes  so  near  were  they 
that  their  singing  and  music  and  din  of  noise  and 
confusion  could  be  distinctly  heard.  The  Span 
iards  thanked  God  that  it  covered  the  footfalls  of 
their  horses.  Even  the  sudden  and  frantic  barking 
of  the  more  watchful  dogs  trying  to  give  the  alarm 
passed  unnoticed.  Had  it  been  otherwise,  the 
Spaniards  would  never  have  lived  to  tell  of  it. 

When  the  forest  was  silent  and  dark  again, 
Juan  Lopez  said  to  his  comrade :  "  Either  take 
your  lance  and  kill  me  here  on  the  spot,  or  let 
me  have  a  wink  of  sleep ;  I  cannot  go  a  step 
farther,  nor  hold  myself  on  my  horse,  for  I  am 
dropping  with  sleep."  Gonzalo  Silvestre,  who  had 
already  refused  Cacho  three  or  four  times,  could 
not  withstand  his  importunity  any  longer.  "  Get 
off  your  horse,  then,"  he  said  impatiently,  "  and 
go  to  sleep,  if  you  would  rather  run  the  risk  of 
being  killed  by  the  Indians  than  resist  one  hour 
longer.  The  pass  through  the  swamp  cannot  be 
very  far  off  now,  and  we  must  get  through  that 
before  day,  for  if  light  catches  us  here  we  shall 
never  get  through  alive."  Juan  Lopez,  without 
waiting  for  more  than  consent,  had  dropped  from 
his  saddle  upon  the  earth  like  one  dead,  and  before 
Silvestre  had  finished  speaking  was  fast  asleep. 
Silvestre  took  his  lance  and  bridle  from  his  hand. 
A  great  cloud  passed  over  the  night  and  rain  poured 
down  in  torrents  ;  but  all  the  water  of  that  or  any 
other  deluge  would  have  failed  to  waken  or  even 
disturb  Juan  Lopez. 


The  March  Inland  39 

The  rain  ceased,  the  clouds  passed  away,  and 
in  a  flash  it  seemed  to  Silvestre  it  was  broad 
daylight ;  perhaps  he  himself  had  slept  on  his 
horse  like  his  companion  on  the  ground.  Hastily 
calling  to  Juan  Lopez  in  a  suppressed  voice,  he 
tried  to  rouse  him,  but  finally  he  had  to  take  the 
end  of  his  lance  to  him.  "  Look,"  he  whispered 
angrily,  "  what  your  sleeping  has  brought  us  to  ! 
It  is  daylight  and  we  shall  never  escape  the 
Indians  now ! "  Juan  Lopez  was  in  the  saddle 
like  a  flash,  and  the  two  galloped  at  full  rein,  the 
two  horses  stretching  their  legs  as  gallantly  as  if 
they  had  had  no  past  stress.  But  in  the  light  of 
day,  as  the  Adelantado  had  told  them,  they  could 
not  help  being  seen  by  the  Indians.  In  a  moment 
the  forest  was  clamorous  with  alarm  ;  cries  and  yells, 
blowing  of  horns  and  conch  shells,  beating  of  drums, 
the  hue  and  cry  rising  behind,  spread  on  each  side, 
then  flew  on  ahead  and  was  answered  by  Indians 
far  away  in  the  distance  before  them.  As  the  two 
youths  galloped  into  sight  of  a  great  stretch  of 
marsh  and  of  water,  lying  before  them,  from  every 
bush,  reed,  and  branch  there  darted  canoes  filled 
with  yelling  savages.  It  seemed  to  them  that  the 
very  leaves  fell  from  the  trees  to  turn  into  canoes 
filled  with  savages.  They  saw  the  fate  awaiting 
them,  but  they  saw  too  that  in  daring,  not  in 
prudence,  lay  their  only  chance.  They  galloped 
through  the  marsh  and  spurred  into  the  deep  water 
and  swam.  Arrows  pelted  them  like  hail.  "  God 
alone/'  they  exclaimed  afterwards,  "  knew  how  they 


4O  Hernando  de  Soto 

did  it,"  but  they  got  through.  As  they  came  out 
on  to  the  dry  land,  Gonzalo  turned  his  head  for  a 
look  backward  :  he  said  that  the  water  was  strewn 
with  arrows  as  a  street  is  strewn  with  flowers  on  a 
day  of  high  festival. 

The  wild  clamour  of  the  pursuit  had  reached  the 
camp.  Suspecting  the  cause  of  it,  the  troopers, 
calling  out  to  one  another,  jumped  on  their  horses 
and  spurred  down  the  road  to  the  rescue.  A  long 
way  ahead  of  them  all  sped  Nuno  de  Tobar,  racing 
his  beautiful  grey  charger.  Disgraced  though  he 
was,  and  unranked,  he  was  still  the  handsomest  and 
most  dashing  cavalier  in  the  army,  and  the  soldier's 
ideal,  in  truth,  of  a  noble  cavalier,  who  for  a  friend 
would  of  himself  defy  the  onslaught  of  armies. 
The  Indians  burst  like  a  thunder-cloud  from  the 
forest  and  into  the  road,  but  at  sight  of  the  troopers 
charging  towards  them  they  stopped,  turned,  and 
vanished. 

Gonzalo  Silvestre  delivered  his  message,  and  in 
less  than  an  hour  afterwards  was  on  his  way  back 
to  the  Adelantado  with  the  supplies  of  food  and  his 
escort  of  twenty  lancers.  Juan  Lopez  Cacho  re 
mained  with  Moscoso.  "  For,"  said  he,  "  now  that 
the  danger  is  over,  the  captain-general  did  not  order 
me  to  return  any  more  than  to  go." 

The  Adelantado  received  Gonzalo  Silvestre  as 
handsomely  as  he  had  sent  him.  Before  all  his 
troops,  and  with  the  high-sounding  words  that 
he  knew  so  well  when  and  how  to  use,  he  praised 
his  energy  and  courage  in  the  incomparable  peril 


The  March  Inland  41 

of  his  mission,  confessing  that  he  had  not  dared 
to  hope  to  see  him  alive  again.  "  No  man,"  he 
concluded,  "  could  humanly  do  more,"  and  he 
pledged  himself  that  Gonzalo  one  day  should 
receive  his  fitting  reward. 


CHAPTER   V 

ACUERA 

THE  Spaniards  marched  through  the  territory 
of  Urribarricuxi,  and  came  into  that  of  an 
other  tribe  and  chief,  Acuera,  for  tribe  and 
chief  here,  as  in  many  other  parts  of  Florida,  had 
the  same  name.  As  before,  the  line  of  march  was 
deserted,  the  Indians  having  fled  to  the  forest.  As 
soon  as  a  few  captives  were  secured,  De  Soto  sent 
them  with  presents  and  greetings  to  their  chief,  as 
he  had  sent  to  Urribarricuxi  and  Hirrihigua.  He 
kindly  invited  Acuera  to  come  from  his  hiding-place 
and  meet  the  Spaniards  in  peace  and  friendship.  The 
Indians,  he  said,  should  rejoice  to  have  the  Span 
iards  as  friends  and  brothers,  for  they  were  a  brave 
and  warlike  people,  and  if  their  friendship  were  not 
accepted,  they  could  do  much  harm  and  damage 
to  the  land.  And  Acuera  could  hold  it  for  certain 
that  he,  their  commander,  had  no  will  to  injure  any 
one,  as  was  to  be  seen  by  the  country  he  had  already 
passed  through,  where  he  had  done  no  harm,  but 
on  the  contrary  had  shown  friendship  even  to  those 
who  did  not  care  to  receive  it,  his  first  and  princi 
pal  intention  being  to  bring  all  the  provinces  of 
that  great  country  into  subjection  to  his  master,  the 

42 


Acuera  43 

powerful  emperor  and  king  of  Spain.  Therefore, 
he  wished  to  see  Acuera  and  talk  to  him  fully  and 
freely,  so  that  he  could  explain  to  him,  and  tell  him 
of  the  orders  the  king  had  given  about  the  treat 
ment  of  the  natives  of  the  land. 

Acuera,  like  Urribarricuxi,  and  Hirrihigua,  was 
too  wily  to  be  lured  into  the  power  of  the  invaders 
of  his  territory ;  but  unlike  them,  he  answered  the 
Spanish  general.  From  other  Spaniards,  he  said, 
that  in  years  gone  by  had  come  into  the  land,  he 
had  become  well  acquainted  with  what  manner  of 
people  they  were,  and  knew  their  life  and  manners. 
They  held  it  their  business  to  go  wandering  round 
like  vagabonds  from  country  to  country,  robbing 
people  who  had  done  them  no  offence  whatever. 
With  such  a  people  he  wished  no  kind  of  peace 
and  friendship,  but  war,  deadly,  never-ending  war. 
Even  if  they  were  as  brave  as  they  boasted  them 
selves  to  be,  he  had  no  fear  whatever  of  them,  for  he 
and  his  people  held  themselves  to  be  no  less  brave. 
To  prove  this  he  promised  the  Spaniards  to  fight 
them  so  long  as  they  cared  to  remain  in  his  lands ; 
not  openly  or  in  field  of  battle,  but  by  ambush, 
stratagem,  and  surprise.  So  he  warned  them  and 
requested  them  to  be  on  their  guard,  for  he  had 
ordered  his  people  to  bring  him  every  week  two 
Christian  heads ;  no  more,  as  he  would  be  content 
with  that.  By  beheading  two  of  them  every  week, 
he  could  finish  them  all  in  the  course  of  a  few 
years ;  for  even  if  they  settled  and  took  up  their 
abode  in  his  land,  they  could  not  perpetuate  them- 


44  Hernando  de  Soto 

selves  there,  as  they  had  not  brought  their  wives 
to  raise  families.  As  to  what  the  Spanish  general 
said  about  obedience  to  the  king  of  Spain,  he  him 
self,  Acuera,  was  king  in  his  own  land,  and  there 
was  no  need  for  him  to  become  the  subject  of 
another,  who  already  possessed  so  many  subjects. 
Moreover  he  held  those  men  to  be  most  vile  and 
pusillanimous,  who  put  themselves  under  another 
man  when  they  could  live  free.  He  and  his  peo 
ple  would  rather  die  a  hundred  deaths  to  maintain 
their  freedom  and  the  freedom  of  their  country ; 
and  this  they  said  not  for  once  but  forever.  And 
as  to  what  the  Spanish  general  said  about  the 
Spaniards  being  servants  of  the  king  of  Spain,  and 
going  about  conquering  new  lands  for  him,  they 
were  welcome  to  that  position ;  and  now  he  held 
them  in  even  less  esteem  than  before,  since  they 
confessed  that  they  were  servants  and  fought  to  gain 
lands  for  another  to  rule  and  to  enjoy.  As  they 
bore  the  hunger  and  toil,  and  suffered  the  ills  and 
hardships,  and  risked  their  lives,  it  would  be  more 
honourable  and  profitable  for  them  to  win  lands 
for  themselves  and  their  children,  not  for  some  one 
else.  And  since  they  were  so  low  that  even  at 
this  distance  they  did  not  lose  the  name  of  ser 
vants,  they  need  never,  at  any  time,  hope  for  his 
friendship ;  he  did  not  care  to  bestow  it  so  basely. 
He  did  not  need  to  know  the  orders  of  their  king, 
as  he  knew  what  to  do  in  his  own  lands,  and  how 
to  treat  the  Spaniards,  who,  in  short,  were  to  get 
out  of  it  as  quickly  as  possible  if  they  did  not  wish 
all  to  die  in  it. 


Acuera  45 

Acuera  proved  to  be  a  man  of  his  word.  Dur 
ing  the  twenty  days  the  invaders  were  in  his  ter 
ritory  his  people  neither  slept  nor  rested  in  the 
fulfilling  of  his  commands.  Not  two  heads  every 
week,  but  two  every  three  days  was  the  tally  they 
kept  of  their  work.  A  Spaniard  could  not  wander 
a  hundred  yards  from  camp  without  being  spitted 
by  an  arrow ;  and  however  quick  a  rush  was  made 
to  the  rescue,  his  comrades  found  a  headless  corpse 
awaiting  them.  If  the  body  was  buried  where  it 
was  found,  the  Indians  would  return  the  following 
night,  dig  it  up,  cut  it  in  quarters,  and  hang  the 
members  in  the  trees,  where  the  Spaniards  might 
see  them.  Fourteen  Christian  heads  were  sent  to 
the  chief  by  his  warriors.  And  this  was  not  all, 
for  they  wounded  the  invaders  besides  by  the  score. 
The  forest  lay  so  close  around  the  camp  that  they 
could  make  their  strokes  with  very  little  risk  to 
themselves,  escaping  easily  and  quickly  to  it  after 
wards,  and  they  never  left  undone  a  stroke  that 
opportunity  offered.  And  so  great  was  their  cau 
tion  and  vigilance,  that  the  Spaniards,  with  their  ut 
most  efforts,  and  with  all  their  advantages  of  armour 
and  horses,  were  never  able  to  kill  more  than  fifty 
of  them.  Truthful  indeed  were  the  words  shouted 
by  the  Indians  after  the  army  all  along  its  march : 
"Pass  along,  robbers!  Pass  along!  In  Acuera 
you  will  find  what  you  deserve.  Your  bodies  will 
be  cut  into  pieces  and  hung  in  the  highest  trees  on 
the  roadside." 

The  captive  Indians  spoke  of  a  province  lying 


46  Hernando  de  Soto 

farther  along  to  the  northeast,  called  Ocali,  where 
the  people  wore  ornaments  of  gold.  This  decided  the 
Adelantado  to  direct  his  march  thither.  The  coun 
try,  as  the  distance  increased  from  the  sea,  became 
more  and  more  beautiful,  the  soil  more  and  more 
fertile.  Such  a  region  of  fine  trees  the  Spaniards 
had  never  beheld  ;  they  noted  every  variety  of  nut, 
oak,  and  pine  known  to  them,  and  great  numbers 
of  other  trees  that  they  did  not  know,  and  the  for 
ests  were  so  clean  and  clear  that  the  horses  could 
get  with  ease  through  them.  Swamps  and  low 
places  were  no  longer  met,  nor  those  murderous  de 
ceptive  stretches  of  grass  that  lay  along  the  sea 
shore,  where  a  footfall  would  send  the  surface  into 
a  tremble  for  fifty  paces  around,  upon  which,  if  a 
horse  ventured  he  would  sink  out  of  sight.  And 
as  had  been  foretold  by  the  Indians,  the  country 
was  well  supplied  with  food  ;  little  groups  of  empty 
cabins  surrounded  by  teeming  cornfields  stretched 
along  miles  of  the  march.  But  no  gold  was  seen, 
nor  any  evidence  of  it. 

The  village  of  the  Ocali  was  deserted,  but  its 
storehouses  had  been  left  well  filled  with  corn  and 
vegetables,  dried  plums  and  grapes,  pumpkins,  nuts, 
and  acorns.  De  Soto  quartered  his  army  there, 
while  runners  carried  the  usual  messages  and  pres 
ents  in  search  of  the  chief,  who  allowed  himself 
to  be  persuaded  to  come  upon  a  visit  to  the  camp. 
The  Spaniards  received  him  with  many  protesta 
tions  of  friendliness,  but  he  proved  so  suspicious 
and  watchful  that  nothing  was  gained  from  the 


Acuera  47 

visit.  Near  the  village  was  a  river,  which  was  too 
deep  to  be  forded,  and  the  chief  agreed  that  his 
men  should  build  a  bridge  over  it.  As  he  and 
De  Soto  were  walking  along  the  bank  selecting  the 
proper  place,  a  band  of  about  fifty  Indians  with 
bows  and  arrows  suddenly  appeared  on  the  oppo 
site  side,  and  shouting,  "You  want  a  bridge,  do 
you,  robbers  ?  You  will  never  see  it  made  with 
our  hands,"  they  let  fly  a  volley  of  arrows  at  De 
Soto  and  his  suite. 

The  cries  they  gave  roused  the  greyhound  Bruto, 
whose  collar  was  held  by  a  page.  The  dog,  with 
a  spring  that  dragged  the  page  to  the  ground  and 
made  him  loose  his  hold,  leaped  into  the  water  and 
made  for  the  Indians  on  the  opposite  bank.  The 
Spaniards  called  to  him,  but  he  would  not  heed. 
Swimming  steadily  forward  through  the  swarm  of 
arrows,  which  were  soon  sticking  in  him  as  closely 
as  pins  in  a  cushion,  he  reached  the  bank  and  eagerly 
sprang  upon  it,  but  tottered  and  fell  dead,  —  literally 
shot  to  pieces.  More  than  fifty  arrows  were  counted 
in  his  shoulders  and  head.  The  Spaniards  grieved 
bitterly  over  him,  for  he  was  a  rare  animal  and 
had  proved  himself  as  good  a  soldier  as  any  in  the 
conquest.  By  day  and  night  he  had  stood  his 
watch  and  guard,  and  in  the  province  Acuera  had, 
by  his  vigilance,  saved  many  a  man  his  head.  In 
deed,  as  his  fate  showed,  he  was  never  off  guard. 
Many  of  his  feats  would  have  been  considered  mar 
vellous  for  another  animal.  Only  a  few  days  before, 
four  young  warriors  came  to  the  camp,  ostensibly 


48  Hernando  de  Soto 

as  envoys,  really  as  spies.  The  Adelantado  re 
ceived  them  with  his  habitual  affability,  giving  them 
some  gaudy  Spanish  trifles  as  presents,  and  order 
ing  them  to  be  provided  with  food.  The  Indians 
were  sitting  quietly  eating,  when  seeing  the  Span 
iards  completely  off  their  guard,  the  four  of  them 
jumped  up  as  one  man  and  ran  towards  the  woods 
at  full  speed,  which  was  too  fast  for  any  Spaniard 
to  overtake  them  on  foot,  and  there  were  no  horses 
at  hand.  Bruto,  who  happened  to  be  near,  hear 
ing  the  outcry,  and  seeing  the  Indians  running, 
gave  chase.  With  human  judgment,  he  flew  past 
the  first  Indian,  the  next,  and  the  next,  and  catch 
ing  up  with  the  one  ahead,  sprang  upon  his  shoul 
ders,  pulled  him  to  the  ground,  and  held  him  there, 
until  the  Indian  behind  came  up.  Leaping  upon 
him,  he  pulled  him  to  the  ground  and  held  him  ; 
and  so  on,  repeating  the  manoeuvre  until  he  had  all 
four  on  the  ground,  he  sprang  from  one  to  the  other, 
as  fast  as  one  arose,  jumping  upon  him,  and  bark 
ing  so  fiercely  and  furiously  that,  confused  and 
stunned,  all  lay  helpless  until  the  Spanish  soldiers 
came  and  took  them  in  charge. 

On  another  occasion,  before  the  army  reached 
Ocali,  while  some  Spaniards  and  Indians  were 
talking  together  on  the  bank  of  the  river  in  the 
most  amicable  way,  one  of  the  Indians,  acting  from 
one  of  those  foolhardy  impulses  that  seemed  irre 
sistible  to  the  race,  struck  one  of  the  Spaniards 
over  the  head  with  his  bow  and  leaped  into  the 
stream,  all  of  his  companions  leaping  after  him. 


Acuera  49 

Bruto,  seeing  it,  sprang  also  into  the  water,  and 
swimming  past  the  others,  until  he  reached  the  In 
dian  who  had  struck  the  blow,  he  tore  him  to 
pieces  in  mid-stream.  In  truth  the  Indians  were 
just  in  hating  Bruto  as  if  he  were  a  Christian.  He 
was  of  that  breed  of  dogs  that  passed  into  the 
saying  that  it  was  not  the  Spaniards  so  much  as 
their  dogs  and  horses  that  conquered  the  New 
World.  Had  he  lived,  he  would  assuredly  have 
been  as  famous  as  Becerillo  of  Porto  Rico,  to 
whom  the  Spaniards  always  allotted  a  man's  share 
of  the  spoils,  or  as  Becerillo's  pup,  Leoncillo,  be 
longing  to  Vasco  Nunez  de  Balboa.  This  dog 
owned  gold  and  slaves,  and,  it  is  said,  could  always 
distinguish  the  Indians  who  came  with  peace  in 
their  hearts  from  those  who  came  with  war. 

The  Spaniards  after  this  made  their  own  bridge, 
and  crossing  the  river,  moved  on  towards  the  next 
province.  But  before  leaving  Ocali  they  set  am 
bushes,  and  captured  thirty  Indians  for  slaves. 
They  had  brought  some  along  from  Hirrihigua  and 
Urribarricuxi ;  but  there  were  still  many  soldiers 
unprovided,  and  they  grumbled  for  cooks  to  make 
their  bread.  Pounding  corn  in  a  wooden  mortar, 
they  said,  and  sifting  the  meal  through  their  coats 
of  mail,  and  then  making  the  bread  and  baking  it 
upon  tiles,  was  so  troublesome  that  they  preferred 
eating  the  corn  parched  whole. 


CHAPTER   VI 

VITACHUCO 

BY  means  of  fair  words,  gifts,  and  promises  on 
the  one  hand,  and  dire  threats  on  the  other, 
the  Indians  captured  at  Ocali  were  made  to 
act  as  guides  as  far  as  the  next  province.  This  was 
a  vast  territory  called  Vitachuco,  measuring  fifty 
leagues  as  the  army  marched  across  it.  It  was  di 
vided  among  three  brothers,  the  eldest  Vitachuco 
ruling  over  one  half,  the  next  over  three  tenths, 
and  the  youngest  over  two  tenths  of  it.  The  army 
arrived  first  at  the  lands  of  the  youngest  brother, 
Ochile,  and  the  Adelantado  moving  quickly  ahead 
with  a  squadron,  surprised  and  captured  the  village 
one  morning  before  daylight,  with  Ochile  and  all  his 
warriors  in  it.  The  Indians  were  terrified  beyond 
resistance  by  the  sight  of  the  strange,  new  army, 
the  men  in  armour,  the  horses,  banners  flying,  and 
above  all,  by  the  bands  playing  their  loudest  music, 
for  De  Soto  had  commanded  the  band  to  play 
its  loudest  at  the  assault.  All  the  other  captives 
were  set  at  liberty,  and  only  the  young  chief  kept 
a  prisoner.  But  he  was  treated  with  such  honour 
and  flattery  that  in  his  gratitude  he  was  easily  per- 

50 


Vitachuco  5 1 

suaded  to  send  messages  to  his  brothers  coun 
selling  their  submission  also  to  the  invaders. 
He  told  them  how  the  Spaniards  had  come  into 
his  territory,  and  how  they  said  that  their  desire 
and  spirit  was  to  have  all  the  Indians  as  friends 
and  brothers ;  that  they  were  going  on  through 
to  other  territories,  and  would  not  do  any  injury 
on  their  march,  particularly  to  those  who  received 
them  peaceably.  But  if  there  were  any  who 
would  not  thus  receive  them,  the  Spaniards  would 
destroy  their  village,  burn  their  cabins  for  fire 
wood,  devastate  their  cornfields,  and  waste  and 
scatter  their  provisions,  taking  at  will  what  they 
needed,  —  in  short,  conduct  themselves  as  in  the 
land  of  enemies.  All  of  this  might  be  avoided  by 
accepting  the  peace  they  offered,  and  it  should  be 
done  for  the  country's  interest. 

The  second  brother,  who  lived  near  Ochile,  an 
swered  at  once,  thanking  his  brother  for  the  advice, 
and  promising  him  to  come  in  three  or  four  days  in 
state  and  ceremony  to  make  peace  with  the  Span 
iards,  supplicating  his  brother  in  the  meantime  to 
keep  on  good  terms  with  such  powerful  conquerors. 
Three  days  later  he  came,  with  a  suite  of  his  finest 
looking  warriors,  and  he  left  nothing  undone  in  the 
way  of  submission  to  keep  the  Spaniards  in  a  good 
humour. 

Vitachuco  made  no  answer  to  the  message  of 
Ochile  beyond  holding  the  messenger  and  not 
letting  him  return.  The  two  brothers,  under  the 
compliments  and  presents  of  the  Spanish  com- 


52  Hernando  de  Soto 

mander,  sent  another  messenger  to  him,  begging 
him  not  to  delay  accepting  the  terms  offered,  for 
the  Christians  were  indeed  a  folk  whom  the  In 
dians  could  not  hope  to  get  the  better  of  in  war. 
In  person  they  were  the  bravest  of  the  brave, 
and  were  truly  what  they  called  themselves,  invin 
cible,  being  in  truth,  by  blood,  spirit,  and  valour, 
children  of  the  sun  and  moon,  the  deities  of  the  In 
dians  ;  as  such  they  came  from  the  country  where 
the  sun  rises,  bringing  with  them  beasts  called 
horses,  which  were  so  brave,  fleet,  and  powerful 
that  the  Indians  could  not  withstand  them  by 
strength,  nor  escape  them  by  flight.  Therefore,  as 
his  brothers,  anxious  for  his  life  and  safety,  they 
besought  him  not  to  bring  destruction  upon  him 
self. 

Vitachuco's  answer  to  this  was :  "  It  is  very  plain 
that  you  are  youths,  and  that  you  lack  judgment 
and  experience  to  talk  as  you  do  about  these  Chris 
tians,  praising  them  as  good  men  who  never  harm 
any  one ;  as  children  of  the  sun,  valiant  and  de 
serving  any  service  that  we  can  render  them.  The 
captivity  that  you  have  put  yourselves  in,  and  the 
vile,  cowardly  spirit  that  you  have  acquired  in  the 
short  while  since  you  gave  yourselves  up  to  be  ser 
vants  and  slaves,  make  you  talk  like  women,  prais 
ing  that  which  you  ought  to  vituperate  and  abhor. 
Do  you  not  see  that  these  Christians  cannot  be 
better  than  those  of  the  past  who  did  such  base 
things,  for  are  they  not  of  the  same  nation  and 
the  same  land  ?  Do  you  not  see  their  perfidy  and 


Vitachuco  53 

treachery  ?  If  you  were  men  with  men's  judgment, 
you  would  see  that  by  their  own  lives  and  words 
they  show  themselves  to  be  children  of  the  evil 
spirit,  and  not  of  the  sun  and  moon,  your  gods ; 
for  do  they  not  go  from  land  to  land  killing  and 
plundering  and  destroying  whatever  they  find  in 
their  way,  taking  away  the  wives  and  daughters  of 
others  instead  of  bringing  their  own  with  them  ? 
As  for  their  making  homes  and  settlements  of  their 
own,  they  are  not  content  with  any  land  they  see  or 
tread,  for  their  delight  is  to  wander  like  vagabonds, 
living  upon  the  toil  and  sweat  of  others.  If  they 
were  all  good,  as  you  say,  they  would  not  leave 
their  own  country,  where  they  could  make  use 
of  their  goodness  in  sowing,  planting,  and  gather 
ing  their  crops  to  sustain  themselves,  without  harm 
to  others,  and  go  about  as  they  do,  committing  their 
robberies  without  shame  and  without  fear  of  the 
Great  Spirit.  Tell  them  not  to  enter  my  territory ; 
for  I  promise  them,  however  valiant  they  be,  if 
they  put  their  feet  within  it,  they  shall  never  get 
out  of  it  alive ;  for  I  shall  destroy  and  make  an  end 
of  them  all  in  it.  Half  I  shall  roast,  —  the  other 
half  I  shall  boil  alive/' 

And  now  that  he  was  started,  Vitachuco  did  not 
wait  for  further  messages,  but  every  day  sent  two 
or  more  of  his  warriors,  who  came  like  heralds  into 
the  Spanish  camp,  sounding  their  horns  and  pro 
claiming  his  defiance  and  threats  of  the  various 
ways  he  would  put  an  end  to  the  Spaniards  so  soon 
as  they  set  foot  within  his  domains :  "  He  would 


54  Hernando  de  Soto 

make  the  plains  open  and  swallow  them  up ;  he 
would  make  the  hills  come  together  and  fall  upon 
them  and  bury  them  alive ;  he  would  order  such 
wild,  furious  winds  to  blow  that  the  trees  would  be 
uprooted  and  hurled  upon  them  as  they  passed 
through  the  forests ;  he  would  command  a  great 
multitude  of  birds  to  fly  over  them  with  venom  in 
their  beaks,  which  they  should  drop  upon  them,  so 
that  their  flesh  would  fester  and  rot  away  from 
them  ;  he  would  poison  the  water,  the  grass,  the 
trees  and  the  fields,  and  even  the  air,  so  that  neither 
man  nor  horse  among  the  Christians  should  escape 
with  life ;  and  their  fate  would  thus  serve  as  a  warn 
ing  to  all  who  thereafter  should  dare  to  enter  his 
lands  against  his  will." 

Nevertheless  the  Spaniards  advanced  steadily 
upon  their  march,  De  Soto  and  his  officers  all  the 
while  feasting  and  entertaining  the  young  chiefs,  and 
they  working  with  might  and  main  to  please  their 
masters  and  bring  their  haughty,  ferocious  brother 
also  into  the  same  subserviency.  Finally,  seeing 
that  their  messages  were  of  no  avail,  they  obtained  the 
Adelantado's  leave  to  go  themselves  and  speak  to 
Vitachuco.  And  in  truth  they  did  so  work  upon 
him  with  their  fears,  and  with  the  fact,  that  not 
withstanding  his  threats  the  Spaniards  were  already 
well  within  his  territory,  that  Vitachuco  began  to 
consider  the  policy  of  dissembling  his  hatred  until 
a  more  convenient  season  for  expressing  it ;  that  is, 
until  under  cover  of  pretended  friendship  he  could 
fall  upon  and  destroy  them  all.  With  this  in  his 


Vitachuco  55 

mind,  he  changed  his  former  savage  words  into 
others  of  mildness  and  suavity,  telling  his  brothers 
that  he  had  no  idea  the  Spaniards  were  men  of  such 
parts  and  qualities  as  they  described,  but  now  since 
he  was  convinced,  it  would  please  him  to  enter  into 
peaceful  and  friendly  relations  with  them.  But  first 
he  would  like  to  know  how  many  days  the  army 
would  be  in  his  territory ;  what  provisions  would 
be  required  during  its  stay ;  and  what  levies  would 
be  made  during  their  march  through  it.  De  Soto 
replied  handsomely  that  he  would  stay  no  longer  in 
the  territory  than  Vitachuco  desired  to  have  him ; 
that  he  required  no  more  provisions  than  Vitachuco 
desired  to  give  him ;  and  that  he  asked  for  nothing 
further  than  Vitachuco's  friendship. 

Upon  this,  Vitachuco  began  to  make  ready  for 
a  grand  reception  of  the  Spaniards,  and  for  a 
grand  massacre  of  them  afterwards.  He  gave  out 
publicly  that  day  by  day  his  affection  for  the 
Spaniards  and  his  desire  to  serve  them  were  growing. 
He  summoned  the  bravest  and  finest  looking  of 
his  warriors  to  go  with  him  to  meet  them,  and 
commanded  a  great  store  of  food,  water,  and  grass 
for  the  horses  to  be  gathered  together  in  his  village 
against  their  arrival  in  it,  so  that  there  should  be 
no  lack  of  anything,  either  for  hospitality  or  for 
entertainment.  When  all  was  in  readiness  to  his 
satisfaction,  he  sallied  forth  with  his  two  brothers 
and  an  escort  of  five  hundred  warriors  in  gala  array 
to  meet  the  army.  A  handsome  and  noble  sight 
they  presented,  striding  over  the  country  with 


56  Hernando  de  Soto 

their  magnificent  war  bonnets  of  feathers  waving 
above  their  heads,  their  finest  bows  in  their  hands, 
and  their  gayest  quivers  at  their  backs.  Vitachuco's 
haughty  head  and  fierce  countenance  rose  preemi 
nent  above  all.  He  was  of  about  the  same  age  as 
De  Soto,  finely  proportioned  and  noble  in  bearing, 
and  as  he  stepped  forward  to  greet  the  Spanish 
commander,  in  the  eyes  of  the  onlookers,  the 
savage  had  no  concessions  to  make  the  cavalier 
either  in  presence  or  in  manner ;  in  truth  he  acted 
his  role  with  the  grace  and  ease  of  a  subtle  courtier. 
De  Soto,  always  won  by  submission,  embraced  him 
warmly. 

The  Spanish  army  entered  the  village  in  full 
military  style,  horse  and  foot,  in  regular  squadrons, 
banners  flying,  bands  playing.  The  village  was  a 
large  one,  of  about  two  hundred  well  built  cabins, 
and  surrounded  on  the  outskirts  by  a  fringe  of 
smaller  and  meaner  ones.  The  Adelantado  with 
his  staff  and  body-guard  lodged  in  the  great  cabin 
of  Vitachuco,  with  him  and  his  two  brothers ;  and 
for  three  days  the  Spaniards  and  Indians  gave 
themselves  up  to  good  cheer  and  conviviality. 
Then  the  two  brothers  took  their  leave,  and  Vita 
chuco  entered  upon  the  second  act  of  his  drama. 
His  ostentatious  friendliness  had  in  fact  so  put  the 
Spaniards  off  their  guard  that  he  was  able  in  all 
security  to  work  out  his  plans  against  them,  and  suc 
cess  lay  within  his  grasp,  when,  and  lucky  it  was  for 
the  Spaniards,  he  let  it  slip  from  him.  As  if  drunken 
from  imagination  of  the  fumes  of  the  blood  he  was 


De  Soto  and  Vitachuco. 


Vitachuco  57 

going  to  shed,  he  could  not  keep  his  elation  to 
himself  nor  his  counsel,  and  like  the  drunken  he 
would  not  fear  nor  calculate.  There  were  in  the 
army  four  warrior  captives  from  a  distant  tribe, 
carried  aiong  by  the  Adelantado  as  interpreters ; 
Vitachuco  secretly  sent  for  them,  and  not  only  told 
them  of  his  approaching  triumph,  but  vaingloriously 
gave  them  all  the  details  of  it,  promising  them 
honour  and  position  if  they  chose  to  lend  a  hand. 
He  told  them  that  he  had  collected  and  held  in 
readiness  ten  thousand  braves,  who  came  as  they 
pleased  in  and  out  of  the  village  upon  pretext  of 
fetching  in  wood,  water,  and  food,  the  Spaniards 
suspecting  nothing.  In  three  or  four  days  he 
would  muster  them  all  in  the  plain  outside  the  vil 
lage,  with  their  weapons  hidden  at  their  feet  in  the 
grass,  and  then  he  would  invite  the  Spanish  general 
to  go  with  him  to  see  what  a  fine  band  of  warriors 
he  had  to  fight  for  the  Spaniards,  if  need  be,  in  the 
Conquest.  "As  we  are  friends,"  explained  Vita 
chuco,  "  he  will  come  with  me  without  distrust.  I 
shall  have  twelve  strong,  daring  warriors  with  me 
who  will  keep  near  him,  and  as  we  get  close  to 
where  my  bands  are  drawn  up,  these  warriors  will 
jump  upon  him  and  seize  him,  whether  he  is  on 
foot  or  on  horseback,  and  make  off  with  him  to  the 
woods.  This  will  be  the  signal  for  my  braves  to 
seize  their  weapons  and  fall  upon  the  strangers, 
who,  unarmed  and  stunned  by  the  capture  of  their 
chief,  can  easily  be  destroyed." 

The  four  Indians,  carried  away  by  the  same  ex- 


58  Hernando  de  Soto 

citement  as  the  chief,  pledged  themselves  to  aid  in 
the  massacre,  which  they  praised  and  lauded  as  a 
plot  worthy  of  a  great  warrior  and  chief.  But 
better  judgment  came  to  them  after  a  while,  and 
showed  them  the  enterprise  in  all  its  dangers 
and  difficulties.  Their  experience  with  the  Span 
iards  did  not  lead  to  the  belief  that  they  could  be 
taken  unarmed  and  put  to  death  so  easily  and 
simply ;  and  the  more  they  thought  about  it  the 
more  they  were  convinced  of  this.  Therefore  sure 
and  certain  fear  triumphed  over  doubtful  hope,  for 
their  death  as  participants  in  the  treachery  was  sure 
if  the  Spaniards  should  find  it  out  before  they  re 
vealed  it.  They  decided  as  to  themselves  to  change 
their  design,  and  secretly  going  to  Juan  Ortiz  they 
told  him  all  that  Vitachuco  had  told  them.  Juan 
hastened  to  repeat  the  revelation  to  the  Adelantado. 
He  at  once  called  a  council  of  all  his  officers  and 
laid  it  before  them  ;  and  they  all  agreed  that  their 
best  plan  was  to  meet  dissimulation  with  dissimula 
tion,  treachery  with  treachery,  and  to  take  Vitachuco 
in  the  very  same  trap  that  he  had  prepared  for  them. 
Orders  were  given  the  soldiers  to  be  on  their  guard, 
but  to  continue  in  their  seeming  careless  gayety, 
so  as  not  to  arouse  suspicion  ;  and  twelve  of  the 
strongest  soldiers  in  the  army  were  selected  and 
kept  in  readiness  to  escort  the  Adelantado  when 
ever  Vitachuco  invited  him  to  review  the  Indian 
muster.  And  so  the  day  for  the  third,  and,  as 
Vitachuco  thought,  the  last,  act  of  his  drama  arrived 
—  a  bright,  exhilarating  morning. 


Vitachuco  59 

At  an  early  hour  the  chief  presented  himself  at 
the  Spanish  headquarters,  and  with  a  great  show  of 
courtesy  prayed  the  Adelantado  to  grant  him  the 
favour  of  coming  out  into  the  open  field  to  see  his 
people  drawn  up  in  their  battle  array,  so  that,  in 
spired  by  so  great  a  presence,  they  might  wish  to 
fight  for  the  Spaniards  with  courage  and  spirit  when 
ever  occasion  offered.  He  added  that  he  himself 
wished  the  Spanish  general  to  see  that  his  warriors 
could  form  in  squadrons  as  well  as  those  other  war 
riors  on  the  other  side  of  the  world,  about  whom 
the  Spaniards  told  such  great  stories.  De  Soto 
answered  that  he  should  like  nothing  better  than  to 
do  what  Vitachuco  asked,  but  to  make  the  sight  still 
finer  and  to  give  the  Indians  themselves  something 
to  look  at,  he  would  order  out  his  men,  formed  also 
in  their  squadrons  of  horse  and  foot,  and  the  two 
armies  could  thus  excite  one  another  by  their  rivalry. 
The  chief  had  not  bargained  for  so  much  pomp  and 
ceremony,  and  was  rather  taken  aback  by  the  pros 
pect  of  it.  But  obstinate  in  his  conviction  of  the 
superior  strength  and  courage  of  his  warriors,  and 
sure  of  their  being  equal  to  destroying  the  Spaniards, 
no  matter  how  well  prepared  they  were,  he  accepted 
the  proposed  match. 

The  two  walked  to  the  field  together,  each  fol 
lowed  by  his  twelve  picked  men.  The  field,  just 
outside  the  village,  was  a  beautiful  and  spacious  one. 
On  the  right  hand,  a  dense  forest  closed  it  in ;  on 
the  left  were  two  lakes,  one  in  full  view,  small, 
round,  and  so  deep  that  a  man  could  not  touch 


60  Hernando  de  Soto 

bottom  five  feet  from  the  bank  ;  the  other  lake  was 
more  like  a  wide  river  flowing  past,  both  ends  being 
out  of  sight.  Half-way  between  the  forest  and  the 
lake  stood  Vitachuco's  squadrons  —  noble  looking 
warriors,  with  height  magnificently  increased  by  their 
superb  war  feathers.  Their  squadrons  were  formed 
with  perfect  military  precision  —  files  straight,  ranks 
open,  pickets  properly  stationed.  The  Spaniards 
eyed  them  with  soldierly  admiration.  To  all  ap 
pearances  they  were  unarmed. 

The  Spanish  squadrons  marched  gayly  in  with 
their  flags  and  music  and  took  their  position  ;  the 
infantry  skirting  the  forest,  the  cavalry  near  the 
middle  of  the  plain.  In  the  breathless  silence,  and 
under  the  fixed  gaze  of  the  two  armies,  Vitachuco 
and  De  Soto  walked  forward  together  toward  the 
spot  where  each  was  to  give  the  signal  to  his  men 
to  seize  the  other.  It  was  a  game  in  which  the  first 
move  won,  and  the  Spaniard  gave  his  signal  first. 
His  twelve  men  threw  themselves  upon  Vitachuco, 
and  although  the  twelve  Indians  as  quickly  jumped 
upon  them,  they  could  not  wrest  the  chief  from 
their  grasp.  At  the  same  moment  the  trumpeter 
sounded  the  charge.  De  Soto,  vaulting  upon  a 
horse  held  in  readiness  by  a  page,  spurred  upon  the 
Indians  with  his  battle-cry,  the  cavalry  following. 

It  was  said  of  De  Soto  in  Central  America  that 
he  was  fond  of  the  sport  of  killing  Indians,  and  he 
showed  that  day  that  the  saying  was  a  true  one. 
He  and  his  horsemen  charged  over  the  Indian 
squadrons  as  over  a  wheat-field,  trampling,  crushing, 


Vitachuco  61 

slaying  with  their  swords,  right  and  left.  And  it 
was  proof  armour  against  naked  skins ;  Toledo 
blades  against  bows  and  arrows  :  the  Indian  files  went 
down  under  them  like  rows  of  wheat  under  the 
sickle.  Brave  as  they  were,  the  moment  came 
when  they  could  stand  it  no  longer.  They  broke 
and  ran,  some  towards  the  forest,  and  those  who 
could  outrun  the  horses  and  dodge  the  crossbow- 
men,  escaped.  Some  ran  towards  the  long  lake,  and 
there  also,  those  who  distanced  the  horsemen  jumped 
into  it,  and  swimming  under  the  water,  escaped. 
The  vanguard,  as  usual  formed  of  the  best  and 
bravest,  paid  as  usual  the  penalty  of  their  position. 
The  cavalry  headed  off  their  retreat  either  to  the 
long  lake  or  the  forest,  where  there  was  some 
chance  of  escape.  The  only  refuge  open  to  them 
was  the  small  lake,  and  some  nine  hundred  managed 
to  reach  it  and  jump  into  it,  the  Spaniards  spurring 
after  them  up  to  their  horses'  necks  in  the  water. 
But  the  Indians  swam  out  of  reach.  The  Spaniards 
then  surrounded  the  lake,  the  soldiers  running  from 
all  over  the  plain  to  the  bank.  All  day  long  they 
stood  there  trying  to  frighten  the  warriors  into 
surrender,  shouting  threats  to  them,  but  shoot 
ing  only  a  few  bolts  from  their  crossbows,  aimed 
not  to  kill,  for  the  Indians  were  already,  with  no 
earthly  chance  of  escape,  held  as  captives.  But  all 
day  long,  desperate  though  their  situation  was,  the 
surrounded  warriors  withstood  their  foe,  shouting 
back  their  threats  of  defiance,  swimming  round  and 
round.  The  Spanish  soldiers  related  afterwards 


62  Hernando  de  Soto 

in  Spain  the  perhaps  incredible  story  that  the  war 
riors  ceased  not  to  shoot  at  the  Spaniards  with 
their  best  aim  until  their  arrows  were  exhausted ; 
and  to  shoot,  a  warrior  would  mount  upon  the 
backs  of  five  or  six  of  his  companions,  and  send  off 
arrow  after  arrow,  until  his  quiver  was  exhausted, 
when  he  would  drop  down  into  the  water  and 
another  would  take  his  place.  The  water  was  too 
deep  for  standing ;  they  had  to  keep  swimming  or 
drown. 

At  sunset  not  one  had  surrendered.  Night  came 
on ;  the  Spaniards  lighted  fires  and  kept  up  their 
cordon,  horse  and  foot  stationed  at  regular  inter 
vals,  so  that  not  an  Indian  could  hope  to  put  foot 
on  the  bank  either  for  rest  or  escape.  Sometimes 
swimming  stealthily  under  water,  with  a  lily  leaf 
held  in  his  mouth  to  hide  his  head,  a  warrior  would 
get  safely  up  to  the  edge  of  the  land ;  but  a  lance 
thrust  or  a  bolt  from  a  crossbow  would  drive  him 
back  at  once  to  deep  water.  The  Spaniards  thought 
that  by  keeping  the  Indians  swimming  all  night,  fa 
tigue  would  force  them  to  surrender.  But,  however 
much  they  exerted  themselves  to  harass  and  torment, 
they  could  not  exert  themselves  to  the  measure  of 
the  strength  and  spirit  of  the  Indians. 

Midnight  came,  and  the  warriors  had  been  fourteen 
hours  in  the  water,  and  the  water  was  now  freezing 
cold  ;  but  not  one  had  yet  surrendered.  Juan  Ortiz 
and  the  four  Indian  interpreters  then  came  to  the 
bank,  and  they  laboured  with  their  best  heart  and 
will,  and  by  pleadings  and  persuasions  and  oaths  to 


Vitachuco  63 

protect  them,  they  coaxed  one  by  one  the  most  ex 
hausted  out  of  the  water ;  but  so  slowly  that  by  day 
light  only  fifty  had  given  themselves  up.  After  that, 
seeing  that  the  Spaniards  had  kept  their  promises, 
and  that  none  of  the  fifty  had  been  killed,  but  that 
on  the  contrary  they  had  received  good  treatment, 
others  came  forward,  but  so  reluctantly  and  so  much 
against  their  will,  that,  after  swimming  close  in  to 
the  bank,  many  would  turn  and  swim  back  again  to 
their  comrades.  But  the  love  of  life  would  draw 
them  back  again  to  the  bank,  and  thus  after  a  while 
they  would  surrender.  About  ten  o'clock,  two  hun 
dred  came  out  in  a  body.  They  had  been  in  the 
lake  twenty-four  hours  and  it  was  pitiable  to  see 
them  —  stiff  with  cold,  spent  with  fatigue,  hunger, 
and  want  of  sleep.  By  three  o'clock  only  seven  re 
mained  in  the  lake,  and  neither  the  entreaties  of  the 
interpreters,  nor  the  promises  of  the  Adelantado,  nor 
the  example  of  those  who  had  surrendered  could 
prevail  upon  them  to  yield.  On  the  contrary,  they 
seemed  to  have  recovered  the  courage  the  others  had 
lost,  and  still  swimming  about,  they  could  shout  their 
defiant  answers  to  the  bank :  "  We  ask  not  your 
promises,  and  fear  not  your  threats  of  death." 
Their  courage  and  endurance  would  beyond  a  doubt 
have  ended  only  with  their  lives  but  that  it  seemed 
to  the  Adelantado  inhumanity  to  permit  men  of  such 
strength  of  soul  as  conquered  the  hearts  even  of 
their  conquerors  to  perish.  When  their  voices  grew 
faint  and  finally  ceased,  he  commanded  twelve  sol 
diers,  good  swimmers,  to  swim  into  the  lake  with 


64  Hernando  de  Soto 

their  swords  in  their  mouths,  and  fetch  the  Indians 
out  by  force.  It  was  done,  the  Spaniards  seizing 
them  by  a  leg  or  an  arm  or  the  hair  and  dragging 
them  along  to  the  shore,  and  throwing  them  upon 
the  sward,  where  they  lay  stretched  like  the  dead. 
They  had  been  thirty  hours  in  the  water  without  as 
far  as  their  conquerors  knew  having  once  put  foot 
to  the  earth,  or  having  received  any  other  form  of 
relief.  Carrying  them  to  their  quarters,  the  Span 
iards  used  every  means  to  restore  them  to  conscious 
ness.  But  the  Indians  did  not  revive  until  near 
midnight. 

When  Vitachuco,  neavily  guarded  in  his  own 
cabin,  heard  of  the  end  of  his  great  attempt,  that  his 
noblest  and  best  warriors  had  not  only  been  con 
quered  but  were  now  captives  and  slaves  of  the 
Spaniards,  forced  to  cook  for  them  and  serve  them, 
he  gave  himself  up  to  the  unrestrained  fury  of  his 
passions,  and  by  day  and  night  he  thought  of 
nothing  but  vengeance,  vengeance,  vengeance.  And 
now,  precipitated,  as  it  were,  into  an  abysm  of  blind 
ferocity,  he  wrought  out  his  own  destruction  and 
that  of  his  people.  The  idea  came  to  him  in  his 
lurid  frenzy  that,  as  these  nine  hundred  warriors 
captured  from  the  lake  were  picked  men,  the  bravest 
of  his  braves,  they  alone  might  suffice  to  accomplish 
what  his  thousands  had  failed  to  do.  At  any  rate 
he  counted  that  each  one  of  them  was  good  to  kill 
one  Spaniard,  as  he  himself  was  good  to  kill  one  — 
the  Adelantado.  And  man  for  man,  there  were  just 
about  as  many  Indians  in  the  village  as  Spaniards. 


Vitachuco  65 

The  wild  exploit  once  suggested,  he  rushed  into  it, 
without  knowing  whether  his  warriors  were  in  chains 
or  free,  whether  they  had  weapons  or  not.  He 
himself  needed  no  other  weapons  than  his  own 
strong  fists ;  and  so  he  decided  it  must  be  with  the 
others.  The  four  Indian  boys  who  served  him  in 
his  cabin  prison  were  sent  secretly  through  the 
camp  to  pass  the  word  round  that  on  the  third 
day  from  the  following,  precisely  at  noon,  each 
warrior  was  to  be  ready  to  kill  the  master  to 
whom  he  had  been  allotted.  The  signal  to  begin 
would  be  a  war-whoop  that  he,  Vitachuco,  would 
give  —  a  whoop  that  he  promised  would  be  loud 
and  clear  enough  to  be  heard  from  one  end  of  the 
village  to  the  other.  The  warriors  sent  answer  that 
they  would  do  as  he  bid  or  die  in  the  effort. 

It  was  just  one  week  after  the  last  attempt.  The 
midday  meal  was  ending ;  Vitachuco,  having  been 
pardoned  and  reinstated  in  favor,  occupied  his  usual 
place  at  the  officers'  table,  at  the  head  of  the  long 
bench,  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Adelantado.  As 
he  finished  eating,  he  stretched  himself  full  length 
upon  the  bench,  and  began  to  twist  and  turn  his 
body  from  side  to  side,  to  clinch  and  open  his 
hands,  stretch  one  arm  and  then  the  other,  draw 
his  fists  up  to  his  shoulders,  and  strike  them  out 
again  with  all  his  strength  until  the  joints  cracked 
like  snapping  reeds.  Then  springing  to  his  feet 
with  lightning  quickness,  he  seized  the  Adelantado 
by  the  collar  with  his  left  hand,  and  with  his 
clinched  right  gave  him  such  a  blow  over  the  face 


66  Hernando  de  Soto 

and  mouth  that  De  Soto  hung  limp  in  his  grasp 
like  a  child.  Flinging  him  to  the  earth,  Vitachuco 
jumped  upon  him  with  both  feet,  giving  a  war-whoop 
so  clear,  shrill,  and  loud  that  it  was  heard  for  miles 
around.  It  was  his  last  call  to  his  men.  The 
Spanish  officers,  drawing  their  swords,  ten  or  twelve 
blades  plunged  into  his  body  ere  the  mouth  closed, 
and  Vitachuco  fell  dead  upon  his  enemy.  The  offi 
cers  were  none  too  soon.  Another  blow  from  that 
fist  would  have  finished  the  commander.  De  Soto, 
unconscious,  the  blood  streaming  from  eyes,  nose, 
and  mouth,  looked  as  if  a  sledge-hammer  had 
struck  him  in  his  face;  his  nose  was  flat,  jaws  were 
shattered,  teeth  knocked  out. 

And  now  from  all  over  the  camp  rose  the  sound 
of  brave  fighting.  As  Vitachuco's  cry  pierced  the 
air,  every  Indian  rushed  upon  his  master  with  what 
ever  utensil  or  missile  he  had  in  his  hand  or  could 
seize.  Pots  were  jerked  from  their  hooks,  and  their 
contents  dashed  over  heads,  scalding  away  the  whole 
face  from  men.  Tongs,  pokers,  fire-irons,  red  hot 
from  the  fire,  burned  away  brows  and  nostrils,  and 
branded  backs.  Plates,  dishes,  brooms,  chairs,  tables, 
jugs,  were  smashed  with  intent  to  kill.  Some  Span 
iards  fell  stunned  at  one  stroke.  Many,  like  De  Soto, 
had  their  faces  crushed  and  teeth  dashed  out  by 
clinched  fists.  Many  were  flung  upon  the  ground  and 
kicked  and  thumped  and  so  left  for  dead.  The  Indians 
kept  their  promise  to  their  chief.  They  did  as  he 
bade  them,  wielding  their  fists  and  grotesque  weapons 
with  all  the  best  passion  that  could  fire  the  hearts  of 


Vitachuco  67 

men,  and  they  died  in  the  effort.  The  first  moment 
of  surprise  over,  the  Spaniards,  calling  to  one  another, 
seized  their  weapons,  and  jumping  upon  horses, 
were  not  long  in  having  the  Indians  at  their  mercy. 
And  no  mercy  did  they  show.  Every  man  of  them 
was  killed.  Not  one  of  them  was  left  alive,  which 
was  a  great  pity,  as  the  Spaniards  themselves  bore 
testimony ;  for  they  were  brave  and  true  warriors, 
doing  all  that  men  could  for  their  chief  and  their 
people.  In  all,  only  four  Spaniards  were  killed, 
but  numbers  were  seriously  wounded ;  and,  indeed, 
there  was  hardly  a  man  in  the  army  without  a  burn, 
bruise,  cut,  or  welt  on  some  part  of  the  body.  And 
lucky  it  was  for  the  Spaniards,  as  they  acknowledged, 
that  most  of  their  captives  were  in  chains,  for,  if 
all  had  been  free,  brave  and  strong  as  they  were, 
although  unarmed,  man  to  man  against  their  foes, 
they  would  have  gone  dangerously  far  towards 
making  good  their  chief's  call  upon  them.  When 
the  conflict  was  over,  every  Spaniard  brought  what 
slaves  he  had  in  chains  into  the  public  square,  where 
platoons  of  halberdiers  despatched  them. 

As  for  the  Adelantado,  his  injuries  were  painful 
and  long  in  healing.  For  twenty  days  his  swollen, 
disfigured  face  was  kept  in  bandages  and  plasters, 
and  it  was  a  month  before  he  was  able  to  eat  any 
but  soft  food.1 

1  The  village  of  Vitachuco  can  be  located  only  vaguely,  as  being  in  the  province  of 
Apalache. 


CHAPTER   VII 

APALACHE 

FOUR  days  later,  with  their  bodies  sore  and 
stiff,  and  their  heads  in  bandages,  the  Span 
iards  withdrew  from  the  bloody  village,  glad 
enough  to  leave  it  behind.  But  they  soon  found 
that  only  the  village  was  left  behind,  not  the 
people,  nor  the  fierce,  indomitable  spirit  of  resist 
ance.  Seventy-five  miles,  as  they  counted  it,  from 
Vitachuco's  village,  lay  the  village  of  the  next 
province,  Osachile.1  The  country  was  pleasant  to 
the  eye ;  easy  woodland,  with  long  stretches  of 
fields  of  standing  corn,  overrun  with  pumpkins  and 
beans ;  but  it  was  a  hornet's  nest  to  march  through. 
From  every  mile  of  forest  and  field  Indians 
swarmed  in  furious  hordes,  desperately  throwing 
away  ten  lives  to  wound  one  horse  or  one  man. 
The  Spaniards,  also  maddened  at  last  beyond  them 
selves  by  such  fierce  hatred,  struck  back  as  savage 
against  savage,  chasing  and  running  down  the  Indians 
like  wild  hogs,  and  sticking  their  lances  through 
them,  throwing  one  wretch  in  his  agony  aside  to 

1  Irving  suggests  that  the  river  Oscilla  may  take  its  name  from  that  old  Indian 
name  and  village. 

68 


Apalache  69 

spur  after  another,  taking  no  prisoners,  killing  all 
they  saw.  The  route  could  be  traced  by  the  drop 
ping  of  dead  bodies,  like  the  route  of  Hop  o'  my 
Thumb  in  the  fairy  tale  by  the  dropping  of  white 
pebbles.  The  Osachile  village  (to  follow  the  Span 
ish  chronicles,  which  give  the  same  name  to  tribe, 
village,  and  chief)  was  silent  and  bare,  not  a  liv 
ing  thing  to  be  seen  in  it.  It  stood  on  the  bank 
of  a  river  and  was  like  all  the  Indian  villages  seen 
in  Florida  —  to  see  one  was  to  see  all,  and  the  de 
scription  of  one  serves  for  the  description  of  all  — 
but  the  mound  of  the  chief's  cabin  was  more  con 
siderable  than  any  seen  before,  and  was  indeed  a 
fortress.  It  was  from  twelve  to  eighteen  feet  high, 
with  room  on  top  for  ten  or  twelve  cabins.  A  wide 
path  paved  with  logs  laid  flat  upon  the  earth  led 
by  such  easy  stages  to  the  summit  that  the  horses 
of  the  Spaniards  easily  ascended  and  descended  it. 
The  sides,  steep  and  straight,  were  walled  in  by  a 
stockade  of  stout  logs,  which  also  extended  up  the 
sides  of  the  path. 

The  Spaniards  remained  here  only  long  enough 
to  ambush  some  slaves  to  replace  those  lost  in 
Vitachuco's  village,  and  these  were  carried  along,  as 
the  others  had  been,  with  chains  fastened  at  one  end 
to  iron  collars  about  their  necks  and  attached  at  the 
other  to  the  belts  of  the  troopers.  But  the  Span 
iards  complained  that  sometimes,  when  sent  into  the 
forest  for  wood,  the  slaves  killed  their  troopers  and 
ran  away  with  their  chains  ;  and  sometimes,  at  night, 
they  filed  or  broke  their  chains  with  a  piece  of  stone, 


jo  Hernando  de  Soto 

and  so  made  their  escape.  The  women  and  young 
boys,  when  they  were  a  hundred  leagues  from  their 
country,  were  loosed  from  their  chains  and  thence 
forth  they  always  served  their  masters  faithfully. 

The  march  from  Osachile  was  towards  Apalache, 
the  great  province  of  which  the  Spaniards  had  heard 
marvellous  tales  ever  since  they  entered  the  coun 
try  ;  tales,  not  only  of  its  fertility  and  plenty,  but 
of  its  brave,  indomitable  people.  As  had  been 
shouted  about  Acuera,  flying  Indians  now  shouted 
threats  of  Apalache  at  their  pursuers  :  "  There  you 
will  find  men  to  kill  you  !  "  After  marching  three 
days  through  the  neutral  forest  that  separated  the 
two  provinces,  the  army  came  to  the  frontier  line 
and  demarcation  of  Apalache.  This  was  a  swamp 
of  such  dimensions,  so  vast,  so  impenetrable,  that 
the  Spaniards  ever  afterward  called  it  simply  the 
"  Great  Swamp  "  ; l  all  other  swamps  encountered 
dwindled  by  comparison  into  utter  littleness.  De 
Soto  halted  his  army  in  the  open  space  that  lay  be 
fore  its  sheer,  precipitous  heights  of  trees  and  vines, 
one  massive  green  mountain  of  foliage,  and,  as  the 
day  was  yet  early,  sent  a  hundred  men  through  the 
only  opening  he  could  discover  to  reconnoitre  what 
lay  within  and  beyond ;  and  if  they  found  water,  to 
sound  its  depth.  The  path,  barely  wide  enough 
for  two  men  abreast,  wound  like  a  serpent  between 
the  huge  trunks  of  gigantic  trees  wedged  one  against 
another  in  the  dank,  damp  soil ;  no  light  or  sight 

1  By    some    authorities   supposed   to  be    the   great   swamp    of   Okefinokee  j    by 
others,  the  Ohahichce  swamp. 


Apalache  7 1 

of  day — nothing  visible  overhead  in  the  subterranean 
gloom  but  the  dropping  coils  and  loops  of  gaunt 
black  vines,  the  path  lying  at  the  bottom  of  it  like 
a  trail  through  a  chasm. 

The  detachment  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  in 
it  when  they  saw  ahead  Indians  prepared  and  de 
termined  to  resist.  The  path  was  so  narrow  and  the 
growth  so  impenetrable  that  on  neither  side  could 
any  fighting  be  done  except  by  the  two  foremost 
men  in  each  file.  The  Spaniards  therefore  placed 
two  of  their  best  armoured  men  in  front,  and  behind 
them  two  crossbowmen ;  and  so,  the  one  pair  using 
their  swords  steadily  from  behind  their  shields,  the 
other  driving  their  bolts  over  their  comrades' 
shoulders,  they  drove  the  Indians  along,  step  by 
step,  through  two  miles  of  the  crawling,  twisting 
way,  until  suddenly,  through  a  narrow  aperture, 
they  burst  into  a  broad  sheet  of  water.  Here,  where 
they  could  spread  out,  a  sharp  struggle  followed, 
with  killing  and  wounding,  good  shots  and  fine  cuts 
on  both  sides.  The  Indians  held  their  own ;  the 
Spaniards  could  neither  sound  the  water  in  front 
nor  advance  one  step  farther  with  their  reconnois- 
sance ;  and  so  they  sent  hurried  word  to  the  Ade- 
lantado.  He  came  at  once  himself,  with  reinforce 
ments,  the  best  foot-soldiers  in  the  army.  The 
Indians  also  sent  for  reinforcements,  and  now  the 
fight  that  followed  was  fast  and  furious.  Both 
sides  met  in  water  up  to  their  waists,  clambering 
over  fallen  logs,  their  feet  slipping  and  sliding  over 
roots  and  cypress  knees.  The  Spaniards,  knowing 


72  Hernando  de  Soto 

that  it  would  not  do  to  turn  back  without  finding 
the  passage  through  the  water,  fought  doggedly, 
never  yielding  an  inch,  but  edging  slowly  forward, 
the  Indians  as  doggedly  holding  their  own  —  or  try 
ing  to  —  but  forced  step  by  step  backward  through 
the  water,  and  finally  driven  across  and  up  the  bank 
on  the  other  side. 

A  clear,  narrow  path  was  discovered  beneath 
the  water,  which  led  to  where  felled  trees  bridged 
the  deep  part  of  the  channel,  and  on  the  other 
side  of  this  a  path  under  the  water  led  onward 
to  where  the  gigantic,  impenetrable  forest  began 
again.  De  Soto  at  once  returned  to  the  camp 
to  make  his  preparations  for  the  next  day.  Two 
hundred  picked  men,  provided  with  axes  and 
hatchets,  were  ordered  to  get  ready  to  make  their 
way  again  through  the  forest  and  across  the  water, 
and  clear  a  space  on  the  opposite  side  for  a  camp. 
As  before,  the  men  in  armour  were  to  lead,  pro 
tecting  the  archers  behind.  Two  hours  before  day 
the  start  was  made,  each  soldier  carrying  his  rations 
for  the  day,  a  handful  of  parched  or  boiled  corn, 
in  his  bosom.  With  all  possible  speed,  they 
filed  through  the  path  and  reached  the  water. 
To  their  surprise  there  was  neither  sight  nor 
sound  of  opposition.  That  the  Spaniards  should 
dare  in  the  darkness  of  night  to  hazard  the 
difficult  passage  had  never  occurred  to  the  Indians, 
and  they  had  not  prepared  for  it.  When  day 
light  came,  however,  and  they  found  that  the 
Spaniards  had  crossed  the  bridge,  they  made  the 


Apalache  73 

forest  ring  with  their  fury.  Yelling  like  demons, 
they  rushed  into  the  water  to  defend  the  rest  of  the 
way,  and  fought  with  more  than  redoubled  ferocity. 
The  struggle  was  too  fierce  to  be  a  long  one.  The 
Spaniards  stood  stoutly  where  they  were,  and  as  on 
the  day  before,  the  Indians  were  forced  to  give  way 
before  armour  and  steel  weapons.  Step  by  step  the 
naked  mass  of  them  was  driven  back,  out  of  the 
water  and  up  the  bank ;  there  was  no  way  of  retreat 
except  into  the  narrow  path,  through  which  they 
could  not  fly  except  in  single  file.  The  Spaniards 
pushed  and  crushed  them  all  into  it  one  upon 
another,  and  then  fifty  men  marching  in  after  them 
closed  the  entrance.  The  others  set  at  once  to 
work  to  clear  the  space  for  a  camp.  And  so  both 
sides  remained  during  the  rest  of  the  day  —  the  baf 
fled  and  enraged  Indians  sending  out  war-whoops 
and  yells  of  defiance  and  insult,  the  Spaniards  cut 
ting  trees  and  burning  brush.  When  night  came  on, 
there  was  not  much  change,  for  the  Indians  kept 
up  their  din,  and  the  Spaniards  sat  or  lay  where 
they  were,  and  made  no  attempt  at  sleeping.  Day 
light  brought  the  Adelantado,  with  the  rest  of  the 
army  and  baggage  following  slowly  and  painfully. 
Although  there  was  no  opposition  or  obstacle  from 
the  savages,  there  was  from  the  narrow  path, 
through  which  men,  horses,  and  baggage  could 
advance  only  one  by  one  and  at  a  crawling  pace. 
It  took  all  day  for  the  whole  of  the  army  to  reach 
the  clearing  and  pitch  their  camp.  And  that  night, 
again,  the  whoops,  yells,  and  cries  of  the  imprisoned 


74  Hernando  de  Soto 

Indians  made  sleeping  an  impossibility.  The 
guard  in  the  defile  stood  watch  behind  fixed  lances 
and  swords,  their  food  being  passed  to  them  from 
hand  to  hand.  As  soon  as  day  dawned,  the  army 
was  put  in  motion,  and  again  advanced,  pressing 
by  physical  force  the  Indians  before  them,  step  by 
step,  keeping  them  at  exactly  the  length  of  their 
swords'  points  and  no  more. 

The  last  stretch  of  the  jungle  was  passed  and  put 
behind,  and  the  woodland  opened  clear  again.  The 
Indians  were  now  foot  and  elbow  free,  and  well  they 
profited  by  it.  Creeping  from  tree  to  tree,  hiding 
behind  bushes,  crawling  on  the  ground  with  the 
noiselessness  and  quickness  of  serpents,  they  picked 
off  the  Spaniards  one  by  one ;  wounded  them  by 
scores  with  sudden  storms  of  arrows ;  surprised 
them  now  on  one  side,  now  on  the  other,  now  in 
front,  now  in  the  rear,  unceasingly,  incessantly.  The 
Spaniards,  jaded  for  want  of  sleep  and  dogged  and 
teased  into  ill  temper,  accused  the  trees  of  turning 
themselves  into  warriors,  and  the  skies  of  raining 
down  arrows  against  them.  The  woodland  was 
clear,  as  has  been  said,  but  not  clear  enough  for  the 
horses  to  act,  and  the  crossbowmen  and  archers 
seemed  utterly  useless  ;  for,  as  usual,  while  one  of 
them  was  making  one  shot,  an  Indian  made  six  or 
seven;  indeed,  one  arrow  had  scarcely  left  the  string 
before  another  was  ready  aimed  upon  it.  The  few 
open  spaces  where  the  horsemen  might  have  had  a 
chance  the  Indians  had  blocked  with  felled  trees, 
barricades  of  timber,  and  branches  tied  from  tree 


Apalache  75 

to  tree  with  vines.  As  for  the  canebrakes  and 
thickets,  otherwise  impassable,  they  had  cunningly 
perforated  them  with  paths,  like  trap-doors,  all  the 
length  of  the  route,  and  in  and  out  of  these  they 
darted  incessantly,  and  never  without  grimaces, 
jeers,  and  insults,  reminding  the  Spaniards  over  and 
over  again  how  in  this  very  route  they  had  met  and 
defeated  Pamphilo  de  Narvaez  eleven  years  before, 
and  as  they  had  done  to  Pamphilo  de  Narvaez  and 
his  army,  so  would  they  do  to  De  Soto  and  his. 
But,  notwithstanding  all,  the  Spaniards  continued 
their  advance,  slow  as  it  was,  and  finally  came  out 
into  the  open  country. 

Thanking  God  aloud,  the  troopers  gave  rein  to 
their  horses  and  to  their  tempers.  The  tables  were 
now  turned  in  their  favour,  and  the  Indians  paid 
for  their  harrying  and  insults  and  jeers,  their  taunts 
about  Pamphilo  de  Narvaez,  and  their  boasts  that 
they  would  destroy  this  army  as  they  had  done  that 
one.  Every  Indian  seen  was  run  down,  and  few 
were  taken  alive. 

That  evening,  camp  was  pitched  in  an  open  field 
which  marked  the  beginning  of  the  cultivated  lands 
of  Apalache,  so  famed  for  their  fertility  throughout 
Florida.  But  the  Indians  had  no  mind  either  to 
rest  themselves  or  to  let  their  invaders  rest  after  their 
toilsome  days  and  sleepless  nights.  All  night  long 
they  kept  up  their  demoniacal  tumult ;  not  one 
hour  of  it  but  was  broken  by  an  attack,  or  a  feigned 
attack.  With  day,  the  weary  army  resumed  its 
march,  passing  through  mile  after  mile  of  rich  fields 


j6  Hernando  de  Soto 

of  corn,  pumpkins,  beans,  and  other  vegetables, 
extending  as  far  as  eye  could  reach  on  either  side, 
and  dotted  with  groups  of  dwellings  sufficient,  the 
Spaniards  estimated,  for  a  large  population.  Indeed, 
experience  proved  it,  for  from  every  cornfield  and 
cabin-group  darted  out  band  after  band  of  warriors, 
rabid  to  wound  if  they  could  not  kill.  The  Span 
iards,  once  more  astounded  and  infuriated  by  such 
persistent  ferocity,  broke  through  all  discipline  and 
order,  and  slaughtered  without  command  and  with 
out  mercy,  each  man  for  himself.  But  their  insen 
sate  cruelty  was  in  vain,  for  the  more  they  killed, 
the  more  they  had  to  kill,  the  Indians,  as  they  saw 
themselves  so  hopelessly  overmatched,  waxing  only 
the  more  daring,  the  more  eager  to  lose  life. 

After  the  cornfields  came  another  stretch  of  wood 
land,  and  after  these  a  deep  river  running  between 
steep  banks  cut  athwart  the  advance  —  a  difficult 
crossing  and  one  that  the  Indians  had  done  their  best 
to  make  more  difficult.  Barricades  stopped  the  ap 
proach  of  horses,  while  a  formidable  palisade  bris 
tling  with  warriors  stood  in  readiness  for  the  foot- 
soldiers.  The  Indians  did  not  await  the  attack. 
Seething  out  from  their  palisade,  they  threw  them 
selves  before  the  Spaniards.  The  horsemen,  jump 
ing  from  their  horses,  dashed  upon  the  barricades 
with  their  battle-axes,  to  cut  them  away.  The  com 
bat  was  a  brave  one  on  both  sides,  and  despite 
their  armour,  the  Spaniards  fell  in  numbers,  for  the 
Indians  fought  like  wild  beasts,  or  desperate  men 
making  their  last  effort.  But  the  Spaniards  fought 


Apalache  77 

like  brave  men  who  knew  the  danger  they  were 
in,  and  feared  it.  So  they  won  the  victory.  Cross 
ing  the  river,  the  army  marched  two  leagues  farther, 
still  through  a  flat  country  of  cornfields  and  scat 
tered  cabins,  and  pitched  the  camp  far  from  the 
forest,  hoping  to  get  some  sleep  at  last ;  four  days 
and  nights  now  they  had  been  constantly  on  the 
watch  and  in  the  fight.  But  they  slept  as  little 
that  night  as  the  others.  The  Indians,  under  cover 
of  darkness,  crept  out  from  the  forest  to  keep  up 
their  alarms  and  din  of  war-cries ;  and  surely,  the 
Spaniards  said,  they  maintained  the  reputation  that 
the  people  of  Apalache  were  valiant  and  vigilant 
above  all  other  people  of  Florida. 

At  the  close  of  the  fifth  day's  march,  the  army  at 
last  reached  its  goal,  the  great  or  chief  village  of 
Apalache.  It  was  deserted ;  so  in  its  two  hundred 
and  fifty  cabins  the  Spaniards  found  at  last  a  comfort 
able  and  much-needed  rest.  The  Adelantado,  how 
ever,  was  not  a  commander  to  give  his  men  much 
rest.  He  at  once  set  them  to  repairing  the  walls  of 
the  village  and  gathering  provisions  from  neigh 
bouring  villages  for  the  winter,  while  squadrons 
were  sent  out  in  different  directions  to  reconnoitre 
the  country.  Two  of  them  returned  within  the 
fixed  limit  of  time  with  about  the  same  report  — 
a  fine  country,  fertile  lands  well  supplied  with  food, 
and  quantities  of  villages  filled  with  people ;  no 
swamps  nor  formidable  forests. 

Very  different  was  the  report  made  by  Juan 
d'AfiascOj  who  had  been  sent  towards  the  south  in 


78  Hernando  de  Soto 

search  of  the  sea,  which  the  Indians  said  lay  about 
thirty  leagues  from  Apalache.  The  guide  was  a 
young  Indian  who  had  volunteered  for  the  service 
with  many  protestations  of  fidelity  to  the  Christians. 
After  travelling  two  days  over  a  good  road  through 
a  level  country,  D'Anasco  and  his  troop  came  to 
a  village  named  Aute.  It  was  deserted  but  well 
filled  with  provisions.  Supplying  themselves  for 
four  days,  they  proceeded  onward,  following  the 
same  good  road.  The  Indian  guide  then  began 
to  play  them  false,  leading  them  out  of  the  road 
into  the  swamp  where  the  fallen  trees  and  tangled 
undergrowth  distinguished  the  mire  from  "  pools  of 
land,"  as  the  Spaniards  called  them,  clear,  open 
spaces  covered  with  grass,  that  looked  solid  enough 
but  sank  under  foot  like  veritable  pools  of  water. 
And  under  foot,  ambushed  all  through  water  and 
mire,  there  grew  a  bramble  bearing  long,  upright, 
sharp-pointed  thorns,  that  wounded  the  feet  of  the 
horses  and  men  most  cruelly;  and  do  what  they 
would  they  could  not  escape  nor  avoid  them. 

Five  days,  however,  the  Spaniards  struggled 
through  the  swamps,  following  the  guide,  who  turned 
them  hither  and  thither,  first  in  one  direction  then 
in  another,  circuiting  and  doubling.  Three  times 
they  came  near  enough  the  sea  to  hear  the  sound  of 
the  waves,  but  each  time  the  guide  turned  from  it 
inland.  The  provisions  gave  out  and  D'Anasco 
decided  to  return  to  Aute  for  more.  But  the  way 
back  to  Aute  was  even  more  vexatious  than  the  way 
to  the  swamp  had  been.  The  only  path  to  follow 


Apalache  79 

was  in  the  trail  of  their  own  footprints,  and  the 
trampling  of  the  troop  in  the  soft  earth  had  made 
a  narrow  furrow  of  water,  where  men  and  horses 
sank  to  their  knees  and  bogged  at  every  step. 
They  reached  Aute  half  dead  with  hunger,  as  men 
would  be  who  had  eaten  nothing  but  herbs  and 
roots  for  four  days. 

Supplying  themselves  again  for  five  or  six  days, 
they  set  out  again  upon  their  quest,  not  by  a 
better  way  but  by  the  worst  that  could  be  found 
by  the  devilish  maliciousness  of  the  guide.  And 
now,  either  in  pursuance  of  an  original  design,  or 
grown  desperate  at  the  futility  of  his  efforts  to 
discourage  the  Spaniards  in  their  obstinate  per 
sistence,  or  acting  upon  an  insane  impulse  with 
the  recklessness  of  his  race,  the  guide  one  night, 
while  the  soldiers  lay  sleeping  upon  the  ground, 
seized  a  firebrand  and  beat  one  of  them  in  the 
face.  The  other  soldiers  were  for  killing  him  at 
once,  but  D'Anasco  interfered,  saying  that  the 
guide  must  be  borne  with,  as  he  was  the  only 
one  they  had,  and  they  could  not  procure  another. 
When  all  were  asleep  again,  the  Indian  repeated 
his  assault.  The  soldiers  then  fell  upon  him  and 
beat  him  unmercifully;  but  the  Indian  undauntedly 
made  still  another  attack  upon  a  sleeping  Spaniard 
before  day.  The  Spaniards  in  their  rage  hardly 
knew  what  to  do  with  him  ;  but  for  the  moment 
they  satisfied  themselves  with  beating  him  again, 
and  chaining  him  to  one  of  their  number,  who  was 
to  have  particular  watch  and  guard  over  him.  As 


8o  Hernando  de  Soto 

soon  as  it  was  light  the  party  set  forth,  and  the 
guide  trudged  along  quietly  enough  for  a  short 
while.  Then  springing  like  a  panther  upon  the 
soldier  he  was  chained  to,  and  seizing  him  in  his 
arms,  he  lifted  him  high  up  in  the  air  and  threw  him 
upon  the  ground,  and  jumped  upon  him  with  both 
feet  to  stamp  him.  The  Spaniards  now  took  their 
swords  to  the  Indian  and  soon  left  him  on  the  ground 
for  dead,  with  a  hound  loosed  upon  him.  They 
had  barely  moved  away  when  they  heard  the  most 
terrible  howling  from  the  hound.  Running  back 
to  see  what  was  the  matter,  instead  of  rinding  the 
Indian  dead  and  half  eaten  by  the  dog,  they  found 
the  animal  helpless  in  the  hands  of  the  savage,  who 
had  thrust  his  thumbs  in  the  dog's  mouth,  one  on 
each  side,  and  had  torn  the  jaws  apart.  The  Span 
iards  again  used  their  swords,  and  one  of  them,  tak 
ing  out  a  knife,  cut  off  the  Indian's  hands,  and  even 
then  so  firm  was  their  grip  they  could  not  be  un 
clasped  from  the  dog's  mouth. 

And  now  the  Spaniards  stood  confused  and  un 
decided,  not  knowing  what  to  do,  doubting,  most 
of  them,  whether  they  should  ever  make  their  way 
back  from  the  swamp.  Faithful  Chance,  however, 
the  friend  of  all,  came  to  the  rescue  by  sending  a 
straggling  Indian  that  way.  Fearing  the  fate  of  his 
dog-eaten  tribesman,  he  quickly  enough  answered 
the  questions  put  to  him,  and  by  signs  gave  the 
Spaniards  to  understand  that  he  could  guide  them 
not  only  to  the  sea,  but  to  the  very  place  where 
Pamphilo  de  Narvaez  had  made  his  boats  and 


Apalache  8 1 

embarked  from  Florida.  Although  the  sound  of  the 
waves  breaking  over  the  beach  could  be  distinctly 
heard,  never  in  their  lives,  he  said,  would  they  reach 
the  sea  from  where  they  were ;  they  must  return  to 
Aute  and  strike  out  in  a  different  direction.  This 
they  did,  and  taking  a  smooth,  easy  road,  came  to 
the  sea  within  two  leagues  of  the  village,  coming 
out  upon  the  shore  of  the  spacious,  beautiful  bay  of 
Apalache.  And  guiding  them  still  farther  along  the 
shore,  the  Indian  led  them  indeed  to  the  site  of 
the  last  camp  of  the  unhappy  Pamphilo  de  Narvaez, 
the  place  where  he  and  his  men  had  made  the  boats 
in  which  they  had  sailed  to  shipwreck  and  death. 
There  was  the  forge  upon  which  they  had  turned 
their  stirrups  into  bolts  and  nails,  the  heaps  of  ashes 
still  piled  about.  There  were  the  hollow  logs,  the 
water-troughs  of  the  horses,  the  racks  that  had  held 
their  feed,  and  lying  about  were  the  skulls  of  the 
same  horses  slaughtered  to  furnish  skins  for  sails, 
hair  for  ropes,  and  flesh  for  food,  as  Cabeza  de  Vaca 
has  described  in  his  relation. 

D'Anasco  and  his  men  searched  in  all  the  hollows 
of  the  trees  for  letters  or  papers,  and  examined  the 
bark  for  names,  dates,  or  marks,  but  with  no  success. 
They  followed  the  shores  of  the  bay  to  the  sea, 
and  at  the  ebb  of  the  tide  they  paddled  out  in 
some  old  canoes  that  they  found  upturned  on  the 
beach,  but  nothing  more  was  found  of  the  unfortu 
nate  expedition.  The  channel  was  sounded  and 
found  of  good  depth  for  large  ships.  Fixing  sig 
nals  to  the  tops  of  the  highest  trees,  so  that  ships 


82  Hernando  de  Soto 

sailing  along  the  coast  might  see  and  recognize  them, 
and  taking  also  in  writing  a  description  of  the  place, 
Juan  d'Anasco  returned  to  the  camp.  The  troop 
had  been  absent  so  long  that  the  Adelantado  felt 
much  anxiety  about  it,  but  the  joy  of  his  welcome 
was  more  than  doubled  when  he  heard  of  so  fine 
a  harbour  near  the  camp.  His  satisfaction,  in  fact, 
was  complete,  for  no  discovery  could  have  been 
better  for  the  conquest  of  the  country.  He  decided 
forthwith  to  bring  his  caravels  there,  and  the  men 
left  at  Hirrihigua's  village  to  Apalache,  where  he 
made  up  his  mind  to  pass  the  winter. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

THE    RIDE    OF    THE    THIRTY    CAVALIERS 

JUAN  D'ANASCO  was  selected  to  carry  the 
orders  to  Calderon.  A  daring  man  was  needed, 
and  so  far  the  cavalier  and  gentleman  from 
Seville  had  distinguished  himself  above  all  other 
captains  in  the  expedition.  His  orders  were  to 
choose  twenty-nine  cavaliers  to  accompany  him,  and 
to  make  his  preparations  as  quickly  as  possible.  The 
army  had  faced  perils  enough  in  its  hundred  and  fifty 
leagues  of  march  from  Hirrihigua  to  Apalache,  but 
how  much  greater  would  the  perils  be  now  when  there 
were  only  thirty  horsemen  to  encounter  them,  and 
when  they  were  bound  to  find  the  Indians  better  pre 
pared  and  more  revengeful  and  determined  even  than 
when  the  army  passed  through  !  These  considera 
tions,  however,  were  not  the  ones  to  make  the  thirty 
cavaliers  selected  by  D'Afiasco  shrink  from  the  expe 
dition  ;  on  the  contrary,  they  seemed  stimulated  by 
them  into  greater  alacrity  for  it.  The  preparations 
were  quickly  made,  and  a  few  days  later,  it  was  on 
the  2Oth  of  October,  they  rode  out  of  the  camp 
several  hours  before  day.  They  were  equipped  as 
lightly  as  possible,  in  helmets  and  coats  of  mail,  car- 

83 


84  Hernando  de  Soto 

rying  only  their  lances  in  their  hands  and,  hanging 
from  their  saddles,  a  small  wallet  of  food  for  them 
selves  and  their  horses.  Their  plan  was  to  travel  at 
full  speed,  galloping  their  horses  wherever  the  road 
permitted,  and  to  kill  every  Indian  met,  so  that  no 
news  or  alarm  could  get  ahead  of  them,  for  the  dan 
ger  most  to  be  feared  was  that  the  Indians,  warned 
of  their  coming,  would  ambush  them.  The  first 
day  they  killed  two  Indians  and  covered  the  eleven 
leagues  that  lay  between  Apalache  and  the  great 
swamp,  which  they  crossed  without  opposition  or 
molestation.  This  was  a  rare  and  unhoped-for 
good  fortune ;  for  a  very  few  Indians  in  that  narrow 
defile  through  the  forest  or  in  the  water-stretch 
would  have  been  enough  to  kill  or  maim  some  of 
the  horses,  and  the  loss  of  even  one  horse  might 
mean  the  destruction  of  the  troop.  They  stopped 
at  night  in  an  open  field,  away  from  all  forest  or 
trees,  sleeping  in  relays,  ten  at  a  time.  Long  before 
day  they  started  again  ;  and  as  before,  galloping 
when  they  could,  they  cleared  the  twelve  leagues  of 
the  uninhabited  reservation  that  lay  between  the  two 
provinces  of  Apalache  and  Osachile. 

As  they  neared  the  village  of  Osachile  they  thought 
in  terror  that  the  Indians  might  have  heard  of  their 
coming  and  be  on  the  watch  for  them.  Turning 
aside  they  waited  until  midnight,  and  then  riding  up 
to  it  as  noiselessly  as  possible,  they  spurred  their 
horses,  and  galloping  through  it  at  full  rein,  were 
out  of  it  by  the  time  the  first  hoof-beat  was  heard. 
A  league  the  other  side  of  it,  they  again  turned  aside 


The  Ride  of  the  Thirty  Cavaliers  85 

and  rested  the  few  remaining  hours  of  the  night,  and 
at  dawn  mounted  again,  and  galloped  on  without 
drawing  rein,  for  now  they  were  in  the  region  of 
cabins  and  cornfields,  and  their  danger  was  getting 
more  and  more  imminent.  The  five  leagues  to  the 
Osachile  River  cost  the  horses  dear,  but  the  good 
animals  stood  the  expense  bravely.  Gonzalo  Sil- 
vestre,  always  in  the  lead  on  his  noble  chestnut,  was 
the  first  to  catch  sight  of  the  river,  and  fear  was  in 
his  heart  lest  he  should  see  it  more  swollen  than 
when  the  army  crossed  it.  But  instead  of  more, 
there  was  less  water  in  it,  and  in  his  joy  he  rode 
straight  into  it  just  as  he  was,  without  stopping, 
and  swam  his  horse  over  to  the  other  bank.  When 
his  companions  saw  him  there,  they  also  gave  way 
to  their  sense  of  relief,  for  each  man  had  been  carry 
ing  in  his  heart  the  same  secret  dread  of  the  river. 
And  now  the  village  of  Vitachuco  lay  before  them, 
and  if  they  had  to  fight  their  way  through  it,  as  they 
feared  they  would  have  to  do,  knowing  the  people, 
the  thirty  of  them  would  never  come  out  of  it  alive. 
They  therefore  agreed  with  one  another  that  under 
no  circumstances  should  any  of  the  number  stop  to 
fight,  but  all  should  push  ahead  in  any  way  possi 
ble  without  check  or  pause.  And  so  they  galloped 
towards  it,  but  their  fears  died  away  before  their  eyes. 
The  village,  in  Indian  superstition  a  cursed  and  ill- 
fated  spot,  had  been  burned  and  destroyed,  the  walls 
thrown  to  the  ground,  and  the  dead  bodies  of  the 
Indians,  as  if  unworthy  of  sepulture,  left  scattered  all 
about,  just  as  the  Spaniards  had  killed  them. 


86  Hernando  de  Soto 

The  troopers  had  hardly  left  the  ghastly  scene  be 
hind  them  when  they  came  upon  two  warriors  hunt 
ing,  and  never  dreaming  of  seeing  Christians  again. 
One  jumped  under  a  large,  low-branched  tree  stand 
ing  near ;  the  other  made  a  dash  to  reach  the  forest, 
but  before  he  could  reach  it  the  Spaniards  had  lanced 
him  in  the  back.  The  warrior  under  the  tree,  fit 
ting  an  arrow  to  his  bow,  faced  the  Spaniards.  The 
horses  could  not  get  under  the  branches,  but,  stung 
by  his  courage,  some  of  the  Spaniards  wanted  to 
dismount  and  attack  him  on  foot ;  Juan  d' Anasco 
would  not  consent.  "  It  is  neither  brave  nor  pru 
dent,"  he  said,  "  to  kill  a  desperate  man  at  the  risk 
of  the  life  of  a  man  or  a  horse  at  a  time  when  both 
are  so  necessary  to  us  ;  for,  as  you  know,  we  are  not 
provided  with  remedies  even  to  cure  a  wound." 
As  he  was  in  the  lead,  while  he  spoke,  he  galloped 
his  horse  in  a  wide  circle  away  from  the  road  which 
ran  near  the  Indian  and  the  tree.  The  warrior  took 
aim  at  the  face  of  the  first,  second,  third,  and  at 
each  trooper  galloping  by  him,  and  when  the  last  had 
passed,  and  he  saw  that  none  had  attacked  him,  but 
all  fled  from  him,  he  shouted  after  them,  daring  and 
taunting  them,  calling  them  cowards  and  poltroons 
who,  thirty  of  them  on  horseback,  had  not  dared  to 
attack  one  warrior  on  foot.  And  he  stood  his  ground 
under  the  tree  with  more  honour,  the  Spaniards  said 
bitterly,  than  had  the  thirty  who  avoided  him.  As 
they  were  galloping  on,  a  moment  later  a  great  out 
cry  of  alarm  broke  upon  their  ears  from  the  corn 
fields  all  around,  the  Indians  calling  to  one  another 


The  Ride  of  the  Thirty  Cavaliers  87 

to  head  the  Christians  and  cut  them  off.  The 
Spaniards  saved  themselves  from  their  peril,  as  from 
many  another,  by  the  speed  of  their  good  horses, 
which,  galloping  steadily  on,  distanced  even  the 
cries  of  their  enemies. 

On  this,  the  third  day  of  their  journey,  they 
made  over  seventeen  leagues.  The  next  day  they 
made  seventeen  leagues  again,  in  addition  also  rac 
ing  down  and  lancing  seven  Indians.  At  night 
fall,  they  rested  in  an  open  plain  until  a  little  after 
midnight,  when  they  mounted  again,  and  by  day 
light  had  travelled  five  leagues,  reaching  the  river 
Ocali,  where,  it  will  be  remembered,  the  hound 
Bruto  was  shot  to  death.  The  Spaniards  had  some 
hope  of  finding  it,  like  the  Osachile,  with  lower 
water  than  when  the  army  had  crossed  it.  But  not 
so ;  a  good  while  before  getting  to  it,  they  found 
that  it  had  not  only  filled  its  banks,  but  had  over 
flowed  the  land  beyond.  And  when  they  came  up 
to  it,  the  current  was  pouring  down  so  swift  and 
strong  and  turbid,  twisting  and  circling  everywhere 
in  such  angry  eddies  and  whirlpools,  that  it  was 
most  ugly  to  look  at,  and  how  much  more  to  swim 
across !  And  to  heighten  the  critical  peril,  faint 
war-whoops  and  cries  of  a  new  alarm  could  be 
heard,  and  not  from  behind  alone,  but  from  both 
sides  of  the  river,  the  cries  of  Indians  opening  the 
chase.  The  lives  of  the  Spaniards  hung  upon  the 
time  that  the  swift-footed  enemies  took  to  reach 
the  bank  of  the  river.  And  every  moment  the  cries 
grew  louder. 


88  Hernando  de  Soto 

In  a  flash  the  men  decided  what  to  do  —  and  did 
it,  without  waiting  for  orders.  Twelve  of  the  best 
swimmers,  stripping  themselves  to  their  casques  and 
coats  of  mail  over  their  shirts,  with  their  lances  in 
their  hands,  jumped  their  horses,  stripped  also,  into 
the  stream  and  swam  over  to  the  other  bank,  to 
hold  it  before  the  Indians  could  get  to  it.  Fourteen 
others,  with  their  best  haste,  cut  branches  from  the 
trees,  and  tied  them  together  into  a  raft  to  ferry 
over  the  saddles,  bridles,  clothing,  and  the  men  who 
could  not  swim.  The  four  remaining  horsemen 
stationed  themselves  to  resist  the  Indians  coming 
from  behind.  The  horses,  as  if  they  too  recognized 
the  emergency,  hastened  to  obey  orders  with  human 
intelligence,  stepping  into  the  water  without  balk 
ing,  and  swimming  across  as  told,  to  the  no  small 
relief  of  their  masters. 

Eleven  of  the  swimmers  came  out  safely  on  the 
other  side  by  an  opening  in  the  bank  ;  the  horse  of 
the  twelfth,  Juan  Lopez  Cacho,  missed  the  opening, 
and  unable  to  stem  the  current  and  turn  back, 
Cacho  let  him  go  down  with  it,  looking  for  some 
other  break  to  land  in  ;  but  although  he  tried  him 
at  several  places,  the  bank  was  so  steep  that  the 
horse  could  not  gain  a  foothold,  and  would  always 
slip  back.  Juan  Lopez  then  tried  to  return  to  the 
side  he  started  from ;  but  the  horse,  which  had  been 
swimming  a  long  time  without  stopping,  was  too 
spent  with  fatigue,  and  his  master  had  to  call  for 
help  to  the  men  who  were  making  the  raft.  Four 
of  them  sprang  into  the  water,  and  seizing  the  bridle 


The  Ride  of  the  Thirty  Cavaliers  89 

and  swimming  with  it  drew  both  him  and  his  horse 
out  in  safety  upon  the  bank ;  and  just  in  time,  for 
both  were  too  exhausted  to  help  themselves  longer. 
The  raft,  ready  in  an  incredibly  short  time,  was 
thrown  out  into  the  stream,  and  two  swimmers  at 
once  started  to  the  other  side  with  a  rope  to  haul 
it  over. 

And  now  the  war-whoops  and  cries,  coming 
nearer  and  nearer,  broke  through  the  trees,  and  on 
both  banks  at  once  the  Indians  rushed  upon  their 
enemies  in  their  wildest  impetus  of  noise  and  fury. 
On  one  bank  the  eleven  cavaliers  held  them  back ; 
on  the  other,  the  four.  The  raft  in  the  mean 
time  flew  between  the  two  landings,  carrying  over 
first  the  garments  of  the  eleven  cavaliers,  who 
were  calling  for  them  loudly,  for  a  north  wind  had 
arisen,  and  catching  them  wet  and  with  nothing  on 
but  shirts  and  coats  of  mail,  was  stiffening  them 
with  cold.  Then  the  other  baggage  was  thrown 
upon  it  and  hurried  over.  Those  who  could  swim 
did  so,  to  save  time,  climbing  out  upon  the  other 
bank,  and  running  to  reinforce  the  eleven  hard  at 
work  upon  the  ever-increasing  numbers  against 
them.  At  the  last  trip  of  the  raft,  Gonzalo  Sil- 
vestre  and  another  horseman  only  remained  on 
guard.  While  his  companion  jumped  upon  the 
raft,  pulling  his  horse  by  the  rein  into  the  water  for 
him  to  swim  alongside,  Gonzalo  charged  upon  the 
Indians  and  drove  them  back,  then  returning  at  full 
speed,  rode  his  horse  into  the  water  as  he  was,  bri 
dled  and  saddled,  and  jumping  upon  the  raft  cast 


90  Hernando  de  Soto 

Joose  the  rope  that  held  it.  They  were  half-way 
across  the  river  before  the  Indians  reached  the  bank 
again  to  hurl  their  shouts  of  disappointment  and 
rage  after  them.  The  whole  troop,  charging  and 
lancing,  soon  got  rid  of  the  Indians  opposing  them 
and  galloped  away  from  them. 

It  was  now  about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 
Instead  of  going  round  the  Ocali  village  they  turned 
into  it,  for  Juan  Lopez  Cacho,  from  his  hard  work  and 
long  stay  in  the  water,  and  exposure  to  the  cold  wind 
afterwards,  had  become  stiff  and  numb,  and  sat  his 
horse  like  a  statue  of  marble,  unable  to  move  hand 
or  foot,  and  his  companions  were  forced  to  halt  to 
do  something  for  his  relief.  The  village  seemed  de 
serted;  but  they  dismounted  in  the  open  square,  not 
daring  to  enter  a  cabin,  fearing  an  ambush.  They 
hurriedly  made  four  large  fires,  and  laid  Juan  Lopez 
de  Cacho  in  the  heat  of  them,  wrapped  in  all  the 
coats  of  his  companions.  One  man  gave  him  a  dry 
shirt.  It  seemed  a  miracle  to  find  one  more  shirt 
than  they  had  on  their  backs,  and  it  was  the  greatest 
comfort  that  could  have  been  given  Juan  Lopez. 
The  rest  of  the  day  was  passed  in  anxiety  and  per 
plexity  ;  they  feared  to  travel  with  Juan  Lopez  in 
the  condition  he  was  in,  and  feared,  if  they  delayed, 
that  the  Indians  would  get  tidings  of  their  coming. 
But  they  decided  to  put  the  life  of  their  companion 
above  the  thoughts  of  their  own  safety,  and  with 
this  set  to  drying  their  saddles  and  clothing,  giving 
their  horses  their  fill  of  corn  from  the  Indian  gran 
aries,  and  resupplying  their  own  wallets.  At  night 


The  Ride  of  the  Thirty  Cavaliers          91 

they  stationed  sentinels  all  around  the  village.  Near 
midnight  came  from  them  the  word  of  alarm. 
Noises  in  the  distance  were  heard,  as  of  a  great  band 
of  Indians.  Fortunately  Juan  Lopez  had  shown 
signs  of  returning  consciousness.  His  companions 
hastily  put  him,  wrapped  as  he  was,  on  his  horse 
and  tied  him  in  his  saddle,  for  he  could  not  hold 
himself  upright.  He  looked  like  the  dead  Cid, 
sallying  forth  from  Valencia  to  conquer  in  that 
famous  battle.  A  companion  took  the  reins  of  his 
horse,  and  as  secretly  as  possible  the  troop  left  the 
village,  and  galloped  so  well  that  by  daylight  they 
were  six  leagues  away  from  it. 

Pushing  onward  without  a  stop  all  day,  they 
spurred  like  couriers  through  the  inhabited  regions, 
killing  all  the  Indians  they  met,  drawing  rein  only 
when  they  came  to  uninhabited  tracts,  to  let  their 
horses  breathe  against  the  next  run.  Thus,  on  the 
seventh  day,  they  came  into  the  perilous  and  dreaded 
province  of  Acuera.  As  they  were  riding  along  in 
intensest  strain  of  watchfulness,  one  of  the  men 
sickened  and  died  in  his  saddle.  His  comrades 
had  heard  him  sigh  once  or  twice  and  groan,  but 
thinking  only  of  the  Indians,  they  paid  no  heed. 
Now,  with  remorse  enough  in  their  hearts,  they  dug 
a  grave  with  their  hatchets  and  buried  him,  and  sor 
rowfully  rode  on  again.  By  sunset  they  arrived  at  the 
great  swamp.  It  also  was  swollen  with  water  and 
had  become  a  vast  lake,  with  great  bayous  pouring 
into  and  out  of  it.  They  camped  upon  a  spot  of 
dry  land  on  the  edge  of  it. 

It  was  bitter  cold,  with  a  north  wind  blowing,  and 


92  Hernando  de  Soto 

they  suffered  so  keenly  that,  despite  their  fear  of  the 
Indians,  they  were  forced  to  build  a  fire,  and  with 
this  on  their  minds  even  those  off  watch  could  not 
rest.  Indeed,  by  this  time  the  strain  upon  their 
vigilance  had  become  such  that  no  man  could 
close  his  eyes  in  sleep  a  second  without  starting  up 
thinking  he  heard  an  alarm.  About  midnight,  the 
comrade  of  the  man  who  had  died  during  the  day 
sickened  and  died  too,  almost  in  a  moment,  and  as 
usual,  says  the  chronicle,  there  were  not  lacking 
fools  to  cry  :  "  The  plague  !  The  plague  !  "  Three 
or  four  of  the  troop,  forgetting  all  their  past  courage, 
ran  away  panic-stricken,  at  full  speed.  Gomez  Arias, 
the  second  in  command,  like  the  man  of  sense  and 
judgment  he  was,  called  after  them  :  "  What  more 
plague  do  you  want  than  we've  got  already  in  this 
expedition  !  Plague  enough  we  have  in  it  that  you 
cannot  run  away  from,  no  matter  how  much  you 
try,  or  how  fast  you  go ;  and  if  you  do  run  away 
from  us,  where  do  you  think  of  going  for  ref 
uge  ?  Do  you  think  perchance  you  can  run  to 
Seville  ?  "  This  brought  the  cowards  back,  and  they 
fell  on  their  knees  and  joined  in  the  prayers  for  the 
dead  that  the  others  were  reciting  ;  but  no  one  would 
touch  the  body  to  bury  it,  for  all  persisted  that  the 
man  had  died  of  the  plague. 

Relieved  enough  were  they  when  daylight  came, 
and  they  could  set  about  getting  through  the  swamp. 
The  eight  men  among  them  who  could  not  swim 
took  the  saddles,  bridles;  and  clothing  of  the  others 
over  the  bridge.  The  other  twenty,  naked  as  they 


The  Ride  of  the  Thirty  Cavaliers          93 

were  born,  undertook  to  drive  the  horses  into  the 
water ;  but  when  the  animals  felt  how  cold  it  was, 
they  would  not  go  into  the  deep  part  where  they  had 
to  swim.  Tying  ropes  to  their  halters,  some  of  the 
men  swam  out  ahead  and  pulled,  while  others  be 
hind  beat  the  horses  with  sticks ;  but  the  trembling 
brutes  planted  their  four  feet  firmly  on  the  ground, 
let  the  blows  rain  on  their  backs,  and  would  not 
budge.  When  at  last  one  or  two  did  yield  to 
the  pulling  and  driving  so  much  as  to  swim  a  few 
strokes,  unable  to  stand  the  cold,  they  turned  round 
and  made  for  the  bank,  dragging  the  swimmers 
after  them.  And  so,  for  more  than  three  hours  the 
twenty  Spaniards,  standing  in  the  water  waist  deep, 
worked  and  laboured ;  but  do  what  they  would,  and 
with  all  their  energy  and  skill,  trying  first  one  horse 
and  then  another,  they  could  not  get  one  of  them 
to  cross  the  channel.  At  the  end  of  four  hours,  they 
were  rewarded  by  getting  two  over,  Juan  d'Afias- 
co's  and  Gonzalo  Silvestre's.  But  even  after  these 
crossed,  none  of  the  others  would  follow. 

Some  of  the  men,  those  who  could  not  swim, 
then  saddled,  bridled,  and  mounted  their  horses,  to 
be  in  readiness  in  case  of  attack.  The  others,  still 
standing  in  the  water,  shivering,  shaking,  and  freez 
ing,  their  naked  bodies  mottled  and  black  as  negroes, 
grew  desperate  and  savage.  Juan  d'Anasco,  in  his 
clothes,  sitting  on  his  horse,  all  saddled  and  bridled, 
was  watching  the  proceedings  from  the  other  bank. 
Vexed  at  the  delay  and  the  fruitless  efforts  of  the 
men,  and  not  considering  that  it  had  not  been  for  lack 


94  Hernando  de  Soto 

of  trying,  and  not  noticing  the  condition  that  the 
men  were  in,  he  fell  into  a  temper,  for  he  had  one  of 
his  own  —  one  which  sometimes  cost  him  the  respect 
of  others  —  and  riding  into  the  water  as  far  as  he 
could,  he  called  out  in  a  loud  voice :  "  Gomez  Arias, 
why  do  you  not  get  those  horses  over  and  be  done 
with  it  ?  The  devil  take  you  all !  "  Gomez  Arias, 
knowing  that  he  and  his  companions  were  more 
dead  than  alive,  and  hardly  able  to  stand  the  agony 
they  were  enduring,  with  disgust  and  contempt  in  his 
heart  for  the  ingratitude  of  Anasco,  answered  as 
angrily  and  as  loudly  :  "  The  devil  take  you  your 
self,  sitting  there  on  your  horse  in  your  clothes  and 
forgetting  that  we  have  been  here  in  the  water  freez 
ing  and  doing  our  best !  Get  off  your  horse  and 
come  over  here,  and  we  shall  see  whether  you  can  do 
more  than  we."  And  to  these  he  added  other  words 
neither  kinder  nor  more  polite,  for  his  anger  when 
excited  also  knew  no  bounds.  Juan  d' Anasco  re 
strained  himself,  for  he  saw  that  the  companions  of 
Arias  restrained  him.  The  discord  subsiding,  the 
Spaniards  returned  to  their  work,  and  as  it  was  now 
near  midday  and  the  coldness  of  the  water  some 
what  tempered  by  the  sun,  the  horses  began  to 
act  better.  But  with  all  the  pushing  and  pulling 
and  haste  that  the  men  could  put  into  it,  it  was 
three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  before  the  last  one 
crossed. 

The  state  of  their  riders  was  pitiful  —  livid,  and 
so  frozen  and  spent  with  fatigue  that  they  shivered 
and  shook  the  rest  of  the  day,  and  could  hardly  hold 


The  Ride  of  the  Thirty  Cavaliers          95 

themselves  upon  their  saddles.  And  it  must  be  re 
membered  that  they  had  no  other  food  than  corn  to 
restore  their  strength.  But  they  rode  along,  thank 
ing  God  that  at  least  the  cold  had  kept  the  Indians 
in  their  cabins,  and  that  to  the  other  trials  a  savage 
attack  had  not  been  added.  When  night  came  on 
they  slept  with  their  usual  precautions,  and  before 
daylight  were  on  the  road  again ;  the  horses  of  the 
two  dead  companions  going  along  with  the  others, 
often  taking  the  lead  as  if  their  riders  were  guiding 
them. 

By  dawn  the  next  day,  the  twelfth  of  their  journey, 
they  came  to  the  village  of  Urribarricuxi.  A  little 
while  after  midnight  as  usual  they  mounted  again,  and 
had  journeyed  about  two  leagues  when  they  saw  a  fire 
in  the  forest,  and  drawing  near,  discovered  a  group  of 
warriors  and  squaws  busily  cooking  fish.  The  Span 
iards  decided  to  capture  as  many  of  them  as  they 
could,  even  if  they  were  Mucozo's  people,  and  hold 
them  until  it  was  known  whether  the  chief  had  kept 
peace  with  Pedro  Calderon.  So  they  charged  upon 
the  camp.  The  warriors  fled  on  all  sides  into  the 
forest,  leaving  the  women  and  children.  These 
raised  up  their  voices,  and  wept  and  wailed,  calling 
upon  the  name  of  Ortiz,  uttering  no  word  but  that, 
and  repeating  it  over  and  over  again,  to  remind  the 
Spaniards  of  the  kindness  of  their  chief  and  them 
selves  to  him.  But  it  was  of  no  avail ;  they  were 
taken  and  tied  and  carried  along ;  the  Spaniards, 
however,  paused  to  eat  the  fish  first,  and  although 
in  the  skirmish  both  Indians  and  horses  had  trampled 


96  Hernando  de  Soto 

them  into  the  earth,  they  tasted  to  them  better  than 
the  best  they  had  ever  eaten  before. 

They  made  a  circuit  around  the  village  of  Mu- 
cozo,  and  had  travelled  about  five  leagues,  when 
the  horse  of  Juan  Lopez  Cacho  broke  down. 
As  for  Juan  Lopez  himself,  what  with  the  excite 
ment  of  getting  away  from  the  Indians  and  his  own 
robust  youth,  he  was  again  himself,  and  completely 
restored  from  the  effects  of  his  fatigue  and  exposure, 
and  during  the  rest  of  the  expedition  he  fared  the 
same  and  did  his  work  the  same  as  the  others. 
And  now  his  horse,  after  all  his  brave  struggle  to 
cross  the  Ocali  River,  was  to  give  out  only  three 
leagues  from  the  end  of  the  journey  !  His  master 
urged  and  the  men  coaxed,  but  it  was  impossible  to 
get  him  on  farther,  so  they  left  him  in  a  fine  meadow 
where  there  was  plenty  of  grass,  taking  off  his 
saddle  and  bridle,  which  they  hung  in  a  tree,  so 
that  the  Indian  who  captured  him  would  have  him 
with  all  his  accoutrements ;  but  they  feared  that  the 
first  Indian  that  saw  him  would  shoot  him  to  death 
without  mercy. 

Their  sadness  over  the  good  horse  lasted  until 
the  premonitions  of  a  still  greater  trouble  drove 
it  away.  This  came  when  they  were  within  a  little 
more  than  a  league  of  the  village  of  Hirrihigua. 
They  looked  in  vain  upon  the  ground  for  hoof- 
prints  or  any  signs  of  men  and  horses,  and  it 
seemed  only  natural  that  the  ground  should  have 
been  tracked  thus  far  and  even  farther.  Their  fears 
suggested  that  the  garrison  had  been  massacred  by 


The  Ride  of  the  Thirty  Cavaliers          97 

Hirrihigua,  or  that  it  had  abandoned  the  country  in 
the  caravels.  If  the  men  of  the  garrison  were  still 
living  and  in  the  village,  it  was  impossible,  the  cava 
liers  kept  repeating  to  one  another,  that  there  should 
not  be  signs  of  them  so  near  the  place.  In  this 
troubled  state  of  mind,  they  took  counsel  as  to  what 
they  should  do  if  their  fears  proved  true.  They 
would  have  no  boat  to  travel  in  by  sea,  and  to  re 
turn  by  land  to  the  Adelantado,  after  what  they  had 
passed  through,  seemed  utterly  impossible.  But 
coming  out  of  their  forebodings  with  equal  spirit 
and  determination,  they  decided  unanimously  that, 
if  they  did  not  find  their  companions  in  the  village, 
they  would  retire  into  some  hidden  nook  in  the 
forest  where  there  was  grass  for  the  horses,  and 
while  resting  there  from  their  fatigue,  would  kill  the 
superfluous  horses  for  food ;  then  they  would  start 
out  again  and  try  to  get  back  to  the  Adelantado. 
Even  if  they  were  killed  on  the  road,  they  said,  they 
would  end  like  good  soldiers,  trying  to  do  their 
duty  in  the  charge  given  them  by  the  captain-general ; 
and  if  they  came  through  in  safety,  then  they  would 
have  accomplished  their  duty  like  good  soldiers. 

So  they  pushed  on,  their  suspicions  and  fears 
growing  more  certain  as  they  advanced,  for  still  no 
sign  or  sound  of  Spaniards  or  horses  could  they  dis 
cover.  But  when  they  came  to  the  little  lake  that 
lay  about  a  half  league  from  the  village,  they  saw 
where  lye  had  been  made,  and  clothes  recently 
washed.  Shouts  broke  from  them,  and  they  laughed 
for  joy  ;  and  as  for  the  horses,  when  they  came  upon 


98  Hernando  de  Soto 

the  scent  of  other  horses,  they  pricked  up  their 
ears  and  spirits,  pranced  and  reared,  and  showed  so 
much  mettle  that  it  was  as  much  as  their  riders 
could  do  to  hold  them  in;  and  this,  when  they 
were  so  strained  and  jaded  that  they  could  barely 
stand  on  their  feet. 

When  the  village  of  Hirrihigua  came  in  sight, 
the  sun  was  just  setting  and  the  night-watch  was 
riding  out  of  the  gate  two  by  two,  lances  and 
shields  fixed  at  parade.  Juan  d'Afiasco  turned  to 
his  men  and  gave  a  command.  They  formed  their 
column  two  by  two,  grasped  their  lances  and  shields, 
set  their  helmets  erect,  and  with  a  ringing  war-cry 
dashed  into  the  village  and  up  to  the  headquarters 
of  Calderon,  as  if  they  were  entering  a  tilt  or  tourna 
ment,  says  the  chronicle,  and  not  ending  the  ride 
we  have  described. 

Calderon,  according  to  his  orders,  at  once  sent 
Gomez  Arias  in  the  caravel  to  Havana  to  carry 
to  Dona  Isabella  a  report  of  the  expedition  so  far. 
He  carried  her  also  a  present  of  slaves.  The  two 
brigantines  were  put  in  order  and  manned,  and 
D'Afiasco  himself  sailed  with  them  to  the  Bay  of 
Apalache.  The  camp  at  Hirrihigua  was  then 
broken  up,  and  the  garrison  started  on  the  march 
to  Apalache. 


CHAPTER   IX 

CAPAFI 

IN  the  meantime  the  Adelantado  had  not  been 
idle.  He  was,  in  fact,  kept  incessantly  on  the 
alert  day  and  night  by  the  assaults  and  am 
bushes  of  the  Indians.  His  soldiers  dared  not  vent 
ure  outside  the  camp  without  meeting  death,  or  at 
the  least,  wounds.  It  seemed  to  him  that  there  was 
but  one  way  to  put  an  end  to  a  mode  of  warfare  in 
which  he  was  hopelessly  overmatched  by  the  sav 
ages  ;  that  was,  to  get  their  chief  into  his  power. 
He  bestirred  himself  with  the  utmost  skill  and 
secrecy  to  find  out  where  Capafi,  as  the  chief  was 
called,  had  hidden  himself,  and  by  slow  degrees  ob 
tained  certain  information  that  he  might  be  found 
in  the  centre  of  a  great  forest.  Although  only 
eight  leagues  from  the  camp,  Capafi  thought  him 
self  safe,  relying  upon  the  canebrakes,  swamps,  and 
impassable  places  that  surrounded  him,  the  fortifica 
tions  he  had  thrown  up,  and  the  number  of  war 
riors  he  had  summoned  to  his  defence.  De  Soto 
resolved  to  make  the  capture  himself.  Taking  his 
spies  and  guides,  he  set  out  with  the  needful  num 
ber  of  men,  horse  and  foot,  and  at  the  end  of  three 

99 


TOO  Hernando  de  Soto 

days  of  toil  and  difficulty  reached  that  part  of  the 
forest,  an  impassable  jungle  to  all  appearances,  where, 
as  he  was  told,  lay  Capafi's  lair.  In  the  very  centre 
of  it,  the  spies  said,  a  space  had  been  cleared  for 
the  dwellings  of  the  chief  and  his  attendants,  and 
the  only  way  to  it  was  a  narrow  footpath  more  than 
half  a  league  long,  barred  the  entire  length,  at  inter 
vals  of  a  hundred  paces  apart,  by  high  palisades  of 
stout  logs.  Behind  each  palisade  stood  a  band  of 
picked  warriors.  There  was  no  other  path  or  open 
ing  to  get  out  of  the  fort  on  the  other  side,  for  Capafi 
was  so  confident  of  the  strength  of  his  fortifications, 
and  of  the  bravery  of  the  warriors  defending  them, 
that,  even  if  the  Spaniards  succeeded  in  reaching 
him,  it  would  be  impossible  for  them,  he  thought, 
to  take  him.  Inside  of  the  last  barricades  was  Capafi 
himself,  and  the  warriors  around  him  were  such  as 
would  die,  to  the  last  man,  before  seeing  their  chief 
in  the  power  of  his  enemies. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  pathway,  the  Adelantado 
found  the  savages  ready  for  him.  The  fight  that 
followed  was  no  easy  one  in  the  narrow  standing- 
room  ;  it  was  hand  to  hand  and  foot  to  foot.  The 
Spaniards  cut  away  the  palisades  with  their  hatchets 
to  make  their  way  through,  and  the  Indians  pun 
ished  them  severely  while  they  were  doing  it.  But 
the  palisade  was  gained,  the  Indians  driven  back, 
and  the  next  one  attacked.  And  after  this,  one 
by  one,  each  barricade  was  cut  through,  and  the 
Indians  driven  to  their  next  defence,  and  the  centre 
palisade  and  Capafi  were  at  last  reached.  There 


Capafi  ioi 

was  no  further  retreat,  and  the  fight  the  Indians 
had  made  before  was  but  a  spark  to  the  fire 
that  raged  now.  An  explosion  of  fierce  despair  it 
was ;  for  their  chief  was  looking  on,  with  life  and 
liberty  at  stake.  They  threw  their  naked  bodies 
upon  the  bristling  ranks,  to  catch  the  swords  and 
lances  in  their  hands.  But  the  Spaniards  were  too 
near  the  prize  they  were  after,  or  the  loss  of  all 
they  had  gained,  to  falter  now,  and  they  fought 
with  the  determination  that  never  fails  to  win. 
The  Adelantado,  like  the  good  captain  he  was, 
fought  in  front,  calling  to  his  soldiers,  each  by 
name,  to  strike  with  him  ;  and  the  soldiers,  like  the 
good  soldiers  they  were,  at  every  call,  leaped  for 
ward.  Capafi,  seeing  that  his  men  were  being  cut 
down  ruthlessly,  and  that  by  naked  warriors  more 
could  not  be  done  than  they  had  done,  and  that 
to  the  last  man  they  would  die  before  yielding,  now 
raised  his  voice,  and  in  tones  that  rose  above  all 
the  tumult,  commanded  them  to  surrender.  They 
would  not  obey,  until  with  cries  to  the  conquerors 
to  put  them  all  to  death  but  to  spare  the  life  of  their 
chief,  they  secured  his  safety.  Then  they  stood 
aside  and  the  chief  came  forward  to  give  himself  up, 
borne  in  the  arms  of  attendants,  for  he  could  not 
walk  ;  he  was  too  fat. 

The  Spaniards  gazed  in  wonder  upon  him. 
Never  in  their  lives  had  they  seen  so  fat  a  man. 
He  not  only  could  not  walk,  he  could  not  even 
hold  his  body  upright  on  his  feet.  In  public  he 
had  to  be  carried  everywhere ;  in  private  he  crawled 


id  .rietnando  de  Soto 

about  on  his  hands  and  knees.  And  this  was  the 
reason,  as  the  Spaniards  now  discovered,  why  he 
could  not  fly  to  a  greater  distance  from  them. 

De  Soto  received  him  affably,  as  was  his  wont 
with  chiefs,  and,  very  much  pleased  to  have  him  in 
his  power,  returned  at  once  with  him  to  his  camp. 
He  was  confident,  now,  that  the  Apalachians  would 
prudently  modify  their  warfare,  and  that  the  Span 
iards  would  be  able  at  least  to  step  out  of  their  camp 
without  incurring  the  penalty  of  wounds  and  death. 
But  never  was  a  man  so  mistaken  in  his  calculations. 
The  Apalachians,  on  the  contrary,  showed  themselves 
more  audacious  than  ever,  more  persistent  and  more 
diabolically  fertile  in  their  resources  of  ambushes  and 
surprises;  and  the  death  line  was  maintained  more 
rigidly  than  ever  around  the  Spanish  camp.  The 
loss  of  their  chief  had  made  them  only  freer,  by  re 
lieving  them  from  the  care  of  guarding  him.  They 
could  now  devote  all  their  energies  to  the  Spaniards 
and  fight  with  both  hands,  whereas  before  one  had 
been  tied.  The  exasperated  Adelantado  turned 
upon  his  prisoner  and  bitterly  upbraided  him  for  the 
ingratitude  of  his  people  after  the  kindness  and 
mercy  shown  their  chief;  for  the  Spaniards,  he 
said,  if  they  had  liked,  could  have  killed  him  and 
destroyed  his  village  and  cornfields.  And  the 
Adelantado  warned  Capafi,  if  he  did  not  wish  to 
bring  a  war  of  fire  and  blood  on  the  land,  to  com 
mand  his  people  to  cease  their  attacks,  bidding 
him  remember  that  he  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
Spaniards,  and  that,  although  they  had  hitherto 


Capafi  103 

treated  him  with  all  honour  and  respect,  they  might 
change. 

Capafi,  with  all  the  gentleness  and  patience  in  the 
world,  and  most  submissively,  and  with  much  show 
of  feeling,  replied  that  it  pained  him  beyond  every 
thing  that  his  people  did  not  return  the  kindness 
and  mercy  of  De  Soto  by  becoming  friends  with 
him  and  serving  him,  as  he,  their  chief,  had  tried 
to  induce  them  to  do  since  he  had  been  a  prisoner. 
He  had  sent  messengers  to  them  to  command  them 
to  cease  harming  and  vexing  his  captors ;  but  the 
messages  had  been  of  no  effect,  for  the  Indians  be 
lieved  that  they  came  not  from  the  chief,  but  from 
De  Soto.  He  could  not  persuade  them  to  believe 
the  favour  and  consideration  with  which  he  had 
been  treated,  nor  that  he  was  allowed  to  go  about 
the  camp  at  liberty ;  on  the  contrary,  they  sus 
pected  that  he  was  being  badly  used,  that  he  was 
kept  in  prison  and  in  chains,  and  for  this  reason 
they  were  bolder  and  more  aggressive  than  before. 
Therefore,  he  prayed  De  Soto  to  send  him,  Capafi 
himself,  as~a  messenger  of  peace,  to  have  his  sol 
diers  carry  him  some  five  or  six  leagues  from  the 
camp  to  a  spot  in  the  forest  that  he  would  show 
them,  where  his  best  and  noblest  warriors  had 
taken  refuge.  There,  shouting  in  a  loud  voice,  he 
would  call  them  up  by  name,  and  they,  hearing  the 
voice  of  their  chief,  would  all  come  at  his  call,  and 
he  would  take  away  their  evil  suspicions  of  the 
Spaniards,  and  would  calm  and  soothe  them,  and 
they  would  do  what  he  commanded,  as  De  Soto 


IO4  Hernando  de  Soto 

would  see.  This,  he  said,  was  the  quickest  way 
and  the  only  way  to  bring  them  into  any  sort  of 
peace.  Nothing  would  ever  be  gained  by  sending 
messengers  to  them,  because  the  answer  would  be 
that  the  messengers  were  false,  sent  by  their  ene 
mies  and  not  by  their  chief.  And  Capafi,  reason 
ing  thus,  in  his  low,  musical  voice,  and  serious, 
grieved  countenance,  persuaded  De  Soto  to  do  as 
he  said  —  to  send  him  to  the  forest  as  a  messenger 
to  his  people. 

The  orders  were  given  and  carried  into  prompt 
execution.  Two  companies,  one  of  cavalry  and 
one  of  infantry,  were  detailed  to  go  with  the  chief, 
De  Soto  himself  strictly  charging  them  with  his 
watch  and  guard,  so  that  he  could  not  escape. 
They  left  the  camp  before  daylight,  and  travelling 
hard,  by  nightfall  reached  the  spot  chosen  by 
Capafi.  He  at  once,  as  he  said  he  would,  began  to 
shout  and  call,  sending  also  his  Indian  attendant 
into  the  woods.  In  a  short  time  ten  or  twelve 
warriors  stood  before  him  to  receive  his  commands, 
which  he  gave  in  the  hearing  of  the  Spaniards.  They 
and  all  the  Indians  in  the  forest  were  forthwith  to 
prepare  to  come  together  before  him  the  next  day, 
for  he  himself  in  person  wished  to  tell  them  things 
most  important  for  them  to  know. 

Darkness  closed  in  over  the  forest;  the  tired 
Spaniards  set  their  sentinels  and  placed  their  guard 
over  the  chief,  and  betook  themselves  to  sleep, 
well  satisfied  with  themselves  for  what  they  had 
accomplished  so  far,  and  enjoying  the  results  of 


Capafi  105 

success  in  anticipation  —  their  triumphal  return  to 
camp  the  next  day,  leading  the  whole  of  Capafi's 
tribe  behind  them,  in  docile  submission. 

But  a  man's  surest  hopes  seem  ever  his  vainest  ones. 
When  daylight  came  and  the  Spaniards  awoke,  they 
found  themselves  without  their  chief,  and  without 
a  single  Indian  in  the  camp.  They  looked  at  each 
other  blankly  and  they  asked  one  another  what  had 
happened.  And  the  only  answer  they  made,  the  only 
one  they  could  make,  was  that  what  had  happened 
was  impossible  unless  the  chief  had  conjured  up 
demons  who  had  carried  him  away  during  the  night 
through  the  air.  Not  one  suggested  that,  tired 
with  their  long  day's  march,  and  trusting  confidently 
in  the  chief's  pleasant  words  and  genial  manner,  as 
well  as  the  unwieldy  bulk  of  his  body,  they  had 
made  themselves  easy  and  all  gone  to  sleep  together, 
those  on  guard  as  well  as  those  off.  The  chief  hav 
ing  been  carried,  was  of  course  not  tired  nor  asleep ; 
but  astute  warrior  that  he  was,  awake,  alert,  and  watch 
ful  ;  and  so  he  seized  his  opportunity,  and  simply 
crawled  out  on  his  hands  and  knees  into  the  arms 
of  his  lurking  warriors,  who,  hoisting  him  upon 
their  shoulders,  made  off  with  him,  and  this  time 
carried  him  well  beyond  the  reach  of  his  enemies. 

The  Spanish  captains  and  their  worthy  soldiers 
beat  the  forest  wildly  for  their  captive  all  day  long, 
but  came  upon  neither  track  nor  sound  of  him. 
The  hardest  bird  of  all  to  catch  is,  in  truth,  the  one 
just  escaped  from  the  snare.  The  Indians,  having 
deposited  their  chief  in  a  place  of  safety,  returned, 


io6  Hernando  de  Soto 

and  now  they  did  not  bother  to  fight  the  Spaniards, 
but,  laughing  at  them,  mocking  them,  jeering  at 
them,  insulting  and  affronting  them  in  every  way 
possible,  they  let  them  return  to  their  camp  in  safety. 
The  soldiers  arrived  at  last,  ashamed  and  discom 
fited  enough  by  the  confession  that  a  fat  Indian  who 
had  been  given  with  so  many  charges  into  their 
guard  should  have  escaped  from  them  on  all  fours. 
They  composed  a  thousand  fables  to  relate  to  the 
captain-general  and  told  them  all,  vowing  that  all  that 
night  they  each  one  of  them  had  felt  the  most  ex 
traordinary  and  unnatural  things  happening  to  them, 
and  that  by  all  the  saints  the  escape  would  not  have 
been  possible  unless  Capafi  had  flown  through  the 
air  with  devils ;  for  it  was  contrary  to  reason  to  sup 
pose  otherwise  in  face  of  the  stern  watch  they  had 
kept  and  the  good  guard  they  had  posted  everywhere. 

The  Adelantado  saw  through  the  affair  perfectly 
well,  but  in  order  not  to  hurt  the  feelings  of  the 
chagrined  captains  he  pretended  to  be  convinced  by 
their  explanations,  and  even  helped  them  out  by 
saying  that  the  Indians  were  such  great  wizards  and 
necromancers  that  they  could  perform  even  greater 
wonders  than  that.  Nevertheless,  he  never  forgot 
nor  ceased  to  resent  in  private  the  carelessness  his 
soldiers  had  shown.  Everybody  else  in  camp  said 
that  it  was  a  divine  mercy  that  the  Indians  had  not 
returned  and  massacred  the  last  one  of  them,  which 
they  could  easily  have  done  while  the  Spaniards  were 
sleeping  so  soundly. 

During  the  last  week  of  December,  Juan  d' Aftasco, 


"The  caravels  had  arrived." 


Capafi  107 

with  the  caravels,  arrived  in  the  bay  of  Apalache. 
Six  days  later  Pedro  Calderon  and  his  detachment 
marched  into  camp,  slowly  and  painfully,  for  men 
and  horses  were  sore  and  wounded.  That  any  had 
survived  the  march  was  a  surprise  to  the  comrades 
who  listened  to  their  accounts  of  it.  In  every  detail, 
the  painful  experiences  of  the  Adelantado's  march 
had  been  repeated,  with  the  difference  only  of  far 
more  overwhelming  numbers  of  Indians  against 
them.  Every  day,  nay,  every  mile,  furnished  its 
skirmish ;  every  night  had  been  a  sleepless  one ; 
every  forest  had  proved  a  trap ;  every  piece  of 
shrubbery  in  the  open  fields  an  ambuscade.  When 
they  at  last  reached  the  camp,  each  man  thanked 
God,  as  if  for  his  resurrection. 

A  week  later,  Diego  de  Maldonado  was  ordered  to 
take  the  caravels  and  coast  one  hundred  leagues  west 
from  the  bay  of  Apalache,  exploring  what  harbours 
he  found.  Two  months  were  allowed  for  the  voy 
age.  At  the  end  of  the  term,  Maldonado  returned 
bringing  two  captives  and  the  news  of  the  discovery 
of  a  most  beautiful  port,  the  finest  yet  seen,  called 
by  the  Indians  Achusi  (Pensacola  Bay),  sheltered 
from  every  wind,  but  large  and  deep  enough  for  the 
largest  fleet  of  vessels. 

The  success  of  the  conquest  seemed  now  beyond 
doubt  and  everything  seemed  to  be  working  in  its 
favour ;  for  the  prime  necessity  for  an  establishment 
in  the  country  was  just  such  a  port  as  Maldonado 
described,  where  vessels  could  enter  and  land  emi 
grants,  horses,  cattle,  poultry,  seeds,  implements, 


io8  Hernando  de  Soto 

and  utensils.  A  few  days  after  Maldonado's  arrival, 
therefore,  the  governor  sent  him  to  Havana  with 
the  two  caravels  to  announce  to  Dona  Isabella,  and 
to  all  the  other  dignitaries  of  the  island,  the  assured 
success  of  the  expedition.  Maldonado  had  orders 
to  return  with  Gomez  Arias  to  Florida  the  October 
following,  which  would  be  in  the  year  1540,  bring 
ing  the  three  caravels  and  any  other  ship  or  ships 
he  could  buy,  loaded  with  supplies  of  ammunition 
and  clothing  and  reinforcements  of  men  and  horses. 
At  the  date  named  the  governor  reckoned  to  be  at 
Achusi,  after  having  made  a  long  circuit  of  dis 
covery  in  the  interior. 

After  this  the  winter  wore  on  in  Apalache  with 
no  events  to  chronicle  save  the  daily  exploits  of  the 
Indians.  One  of  the  Spaniards  years  afterwards 
paid  this  compliment  to  them  :  "  Perfectly  brave  and 
dauntless,  they  showed  us  well — curse  them!  —  how 
it  was  they  had  been  able  to  drive  Pamphilo  de  Nar- 
vaez  out  of  their  country.  They  came  up  to  our 
very  beards  every  day  to  shake  their  fists  at  us ; 
and,  always  prowling  about  the  woods,  whenever  we 
went  out  to  cut  wood,  at  the  first  sound  of  an  axe, 
they  would  swarm  upon  us ;  kill  us,  break  the 
chains  from  our  slaves,  brought  along  to  carry  the 
loads  ;  take  our  scalps  ;  and  by  the  time  one's  cries 
brought  help,  all  would  be  over.  I  remember  one 
day  that  seven  of  us  went  out  from  the  camp  on 
horseback  hunting  for  a  mess  of  game,  opossum  or 
coon  (little  dogs,  the  Spaniards  called  them),  and  I 
tell  you  we  held  that  for  a  famous  day  when  we 


Capafi  109 

could  find  one,  and  no  pheasant  ever  tasted  better 
to  us.  And  so,  going  along,  hunting  our  best,  we 
ran  across  five  Indians  with  their  bows  and  arrows. 
All  aimed  at  us,  and  one  of  them,  making  a  mark 
on  the  ground,  told  us  not  to  pass  over  it  or  they 
would  kill  us  all.  We,  not  understanding  foolery 
of  that  kind,  charged  upon  them ;  they  let  fly  their 
arrows,  killed  two  of  our  horses,  wounded  two 
others,  and  one  of  our  men  badly.  We  killed  one 
of  them,  but  the  others  ran  away  and  escaped ;  for 
in  truth  as  they  were  swift  on  their  feet,  and  having 
no  clothes  on  to  disturb  them,  they  generally  did 
escape  —  except  in  a  long  run  against  the  horses." 

One  day  Juan  d'Anasco  and  six  other  cavaliers, 
carelessly  talking,  walked  their  horses  through  the 
village  and  into  the  fields  beyond ;  they  were  with 
out  armour ;  one  carried  his  lance,  the  others  had 
only  their  swords  in  their  belts.  In  the  bushes  on 
the  edge  of  the  clearing,  they  discovered  an  Indian 
man  and  woman  gathering  peas  from  vines  left  over 
from  the  year  before,  and  at  once  they  dashed  for 
ward  to  capture  them.  The  woman,  at  the  sight 
of  the  horses,  stood  transfixed  with  terror.  The 
man,  taking  her  in  his  arms,  ran  into  the  woods, 
and  putting  her  down  under  the  first  tree  gave  her 
two  or  three  pushes  to  make  her  go  farther  in.  He 
could  have  gone  with  her  and  escaped,  but  on  the 
contrary,  running  back  to  the  spot  where  he  had  left 
his  bow  and  arrows,  he  seized  them  and  advanced 
to  meet  the  Spaniards  with  as  much  firmness 
and  self-possession  as  if  they  were  only  another 


no  Hernando  de  Soto 

single  Indian  like  himself.  As  he  came  forward,  the 
Spaniards  declared  it  was  an  unworthy  act  for  seven 
Spaniards  on  horseback  to  kill  one  Indian  on  foot, 
and  so  gallant  a  one  merited  to  be  taken  alive. 
Surrounding  him,  therefore,  before  he  had  time  to 
use  his  bow  and  arrows,  they  pressed  their  horses 
upon  him,  crowding  him  to  the  ground,  and  calling 
upon  him  to  surrender.  The  harder  pressed  he 
was  the  more  furiously  the  Indian  fought,  on  the 
ground  as  he  was,  shooting  his  arrows  and  thrusting 
his  bow  into  the  bellies  of  the  horses  above  him. 
Then,  darting  from  under  the  hoofs  to  his  feet,  he 
dealt,  with  his  bow  in  both  hands,  such  a  blow  upon 
the  head  of  the  cavalier  who  was  thrusting  at  him 
with  his  lance,  that  the  blood  gushed  from  his  face, 
and  he  reeled  in  the  saddle.  "  Plague  take  you  !" 
cried  the  Spaniard,  furious.  "  While  we  are  fooling 
to  save  your  life, you  will  kill  the  last  one  of  us." 
And  he  gave  the  warrior  a  thrust  through  the  breast 
which  stretched  him  dead.  All  seven  of  the  horses 
were  wounded. 

And  again,  to  give  another  story :  about  the 
breaking  up  of  the  winter,  in  the  beginning  of 
March,  a  detachment  was  sent  to  a  neighbouring 
deserted  village  to  bring  back  corn.  After  taking 
all  they  wanted,  the  soldiers  hid  themselves  in 
ambush  to  catch  any  Indians  that  by  chance  might 
come  along;  and  very  soon  an  Indian  did  come 
along  through  the  village  square.  A  cavalier,  too 
eager  for  the  honour  of  his  capture  to  think,  gal 
loped  into  the  open  space.  The  Indian,  with  in- 


Capafi  in 

credible  swiftness,  ran  a  short  distance ;  but  seeing 
that  the  horse  was  gaining  upon  him,  he  threw  him 
self  under  a  low  tree,  and  with  an  arrow  in  his  bow, 
waited  for  the  horseman  to  come  within  shot.  The 
cavalier,  not  being  able  to  get  under  the  branches  of 
the  tree,  galloped  alongside,  thrusting  his  lance  at 
him.  The  Indian,  dodging  the  lance,  shot  his  arrow 
just  as  the  horse  was  abreast;  the  horse  stumbled 
and  fell  dead.  A  second  cavalier  had  by  this  time 
ridden  up,  and  he  also,  not  being  able  to  get  under 
the  tree,  galloped  past  just  as  the  first  had  done, 
thrusting  his  lance  under  the  branches  at  the 
Indian.  The  Indian,  as  before,  waited,  and  then 
sent  his  arrow  as  before ;  and  the  second  horse 
stumbled  and  fell  alongside  the  first.  Leaping 
from  their  saddles  the  two  cavaliers  ran  forward  on 
foot  to  attack  him.  But  the  Indian,  satisfied  with 
unhorsing  his  pursuers  and  putting  them  on  foot 
like  himself,  now  easily  and  lightly  skipped  before 
them  to  the  forest,  turning  to  grimace  and  make 
mocking  gestures  at  them,  jeering,  "  Let  us  always 
fight  on  foot,  and  then  we  shall  see  who  are  the 
better  men ! " 

A  few  days  later  two  soldiers  rode  outside  the 
camp  to  gather  fruit  in  the  woods  near  by,  and  un 
able  to  reach  the  lowest  branches  from  their  horses, 
climbed  from  the  saddles  into  the  tree.  The 
Indians,  always  on  the  watch,  waited  only  to  let 
them  get  well  into  the  trees,  then  darted  out  towards 
them.  One  of  the  men  dropped  to  the  ground  to 
run  to  his  horse,  but  an  arrow,  driving  between  his 


112  Hernando  de  Soto 

shoulders  and  coming  half-way  out  of  his  breast, 
stretched  him  flat.  The  other  man  was  shot  in  the 
tree,  and  falling  with  three  arrows  in  him,  had  not 
reached  the  ground  before  he  was  scalped.  The 
frightened  horses  ran  to  the  camp.  One  had  a  drop 
of  blood  on  his  flank  and  was  taken  to  the  farrier. 
As  the  wound  was  no  larger  than  a  lancet's  point, 
the  farrier  said  he  could  see  nothing  to  dress.  The 
horse,dying  the  next  day,  was  opened  and  an  arrow 
was  found  to  have  gone  nearly  through  the  whole 
length  of  his  body,  lacking  only  the  breadth  of  two 
fingers  of  coming  out.  The  stories  of  wonderful 
arrow  shots  are  innumerable  in  the  chronicle.  The 
fine  horse  of  Gonzalo  Silvestre,  later  shot  by  an 
arrow,  fell  dead  without  quivering  a  muscle.  Aston 
ished  that  so  strong  and  large  an  animal  should  die 
so  quickly  from  one  shot,  the  Spaniards  opened  his 
body.  They  found  that  the  arrow,  entering  the 
breast,  had  cut  straight  through  the  trunk,  piercing 
the  heart  in  its  way.  Luis  de  Moscoso,  in  an  en 
gagement,  was  shot  by  an  arrow  that  passed  through 
a  doublet  of  leather  and  the  coat  of  mail  he  wore 
underneath,  a  coat  that  cost  in  Spain  one  hundred 
and  fifty  ducats.  The  rich  cavaliers,  who  wore  simi 
lar  fine  and  costly  coats  of  mail,  determined  to  find 
out  what  they  were  really  worth  as  defence  against 
arrows.  So  in  the  open  square  they  set  up  a  pole, 
upon  which  they  fastened  one  of  the  stout  osier 
baskets  plaited  by  the  Indians,  and  over  the  basket 
they  drew  one  of  their  best  coats  of  mail.  Then 
loosing  an  Apalachian  warrior  from  his  chains,  they 


Capafi  113 

gave  him  a  bow  and  arrows  and,  placing  him  about 
fifty  paces  away,  told  him  to  shoot  at  the  basket. 
The  Indian  aimed  and  shot;  the  arrow  passed  so 
clean,  clear,  and  strong  through  the  coat  of  mail 
and  basket  that,  if  there  had  been  a  man  on  the 
other  side,  it  would  have  gone  through  him  too. 
The  Spaniards  then  put  another  coat  of  mail  on  top 
of  the  one  already  on  the  basket.  The  Indian  shot 
again ;  the  arrow  passed  through  the  four  thicknesses 
but  lodged  in  the  last ;  when  he  saw  that  his  arrow 
had  not  gone  clear  through,  he  angrily  begged  for 
another  shot.  "  Let  me  try  once  more,"  he  said, 
"  and  if  my  arrow  does  not  go  as  clear  through  as 
the  first,  hang  me  at  once/'  But  the  Spaniards  had 
enough  evidence,  and  did  not  care  to  see  their  coats 
of  mail  still  further  discredited.  But  henceforth 
they  called  them  derisively  their  court  dress  and 
gala  costumes,  and  replaced  them  by  very  ugly  but 
much  more  serviceable  wadded  vests,  and  skirts 
wide  enough  to  cover  the  breast  and  haunches  of 
the  horses. 

The  dexterity  of  the  Indians  was  not  to  be  won 
dered  at  considering  their  training,  say  the  Span 
iards  who  suffered  by  it,  for  babies  of  three  years 
or  less,  as  soon  as  they  could  stand  on  their  feet,  were 
given  tiny  bows  and  arrows,  with  which  they  went 
out  hunting  against  the  beetles  and  insects  crawling 
round  their  cabins ;  and  when  they  found  a  mouse 
or  a  lizard  in  a  hole,  they  would  stand  on  the 
watch  from  three  to  six  hours,  waiting  for  it  to 
come  out,  so  as  to  shoot  it.  If  there  was  nothing 


1 14  Hernando  de  Soto 

else  to  shoot,  they  shot  at  the  flies  on  the  floor  and 
walls  of  their  cabins.  The  bows  of  the  warriors, 
made  of  oak  or  other  strong,  heavy  wood,  were  of 
the  height,  and  in  proportion  to  the  strength,  of  the 
men  that  used  them  ;  and  as  the  Indians  of  Florida 
were  generally  six  feet  high,  no  Spaniard  in  the 
army,  straining  to  his  utmost,  could  draw  the  string 
to  the  face ;  while  the  Indians,  with  the  greatest 
ease,  drew  it  behind  the  ear. 


CHAPTER   X 

COFA     AND     COFAQUI 

SEEKING  indefatigably  among  his  captives  for 
information  about  the  country  farther  inland, 
which  he  was  about  to  explore,  De  Soto  dis 
covered  a  lad  about  sixteen  or  seventeen  years  of  age, 
who,  reared  by  Indian  traders,  had  often  travelled 
with  them  to  great  distances.  He  offered  to  act  as 
guide  through  the  country  he  had  gone  over,  a  dis 
tance  of  at  least  twelve  or  thirteen  days'  march.  A 
few  days  later  another  boy,  also  a  trader's,  was  capt 
ured,  who  had  penetrated  still  farther  into  the  in 
terior,  and  knew  even  more  about  the  country  than 
the  first  boy.  When  questioned  about  gold  and  silver 
and  precious  stones,  specimens  of  which  were  shown 
him,  he  said  that  in  one  country  he  had  travelled 
through,  called  Cofachiqui,  there  was  to  be  found 
much  of  the  yellow  and  white  metal,  and  great 
quantities  of  pearls,  selecting  one  from  the  jewelry 
before  him  to  show  what  he  meant,  and  he  told  how 
the  gold  and  silver  were  taken  from  the  mine  and 
melted,  just  as  if  he  had  seen  it  done,  or,  as  the 
Spaniards  said,  as  if  the  devil  had  inspired  him. 
This  spread  wild  delight  among  the  conquerors,  who 

"5 


n6  Hernando  de  Soto 

could  dream  and  think  and  talk  of  nothing  else  than 
Cofachiqui  and  their  longing  to  be  there,  each  man 
at  once  seeing  himself  the  lord  and  master  of  great 
and  noble  treasures,  and  acting  and  arranging  his  fut 
ure  thereby.  As  soon  as  the  spring  was  well  begun, 
about  the  end  of  March,  the  Adelantado  gave  the 
word  of  command,  and  the  army  gladly  shaking  the 
dust  of  Apalache  from  their  feet,  started  towards 
the  joyfully  expected  El  Dorado. 

After  three  days  they  came  to  an  uninhabited 
neutral  region,  and  crossing  it  entered  a  new  prov 
ince,  Altapaha.  Here  was  found  a  different  coun 
try  and  a  different  people  —  kindly,  peace-loving,  and 
domestic  tribes  living  in  comfortable  villages  sur 
rounded  by  cornfields.  At  every  village  the  army 
was  received  with  presents  of  game  and  fruit,  and 
entertained  with  generous  hospitality ;  a  peaceful 
Sabbath  period  it  seemed  to  the  Spaniards  after 
Apalache.  The  villages  were  better  built  than  any 
seen  before  in  Florida ;  the  cabins  were  thatched 
with  cane  instead  of  straw  and  palmetto,  and  the 
walls  daubed  with  clay ;  fireplaces  were  provided, 
and  in  front  of  the  cabins  there  were  porticos  with 
benches  or  seats  of  cane.  The  people  wore  mantles 
of  skin  or  of  stuff  woven  by  the  women  from  dried 
grass  or  bark  of  trees,  or  fibre  of  nettles,  which  was 
beaten  out  and  bleached  like  flax ;  and  the  skins 
were  so  skilfully  dressed  and  dyed  that  they  looked 
like  the  finest  broadcloth.  De  Soto,  perhaps  as  a 
votive  offering  for  the  peace  and  friendship  found 
in  the  province,  set  up  a  cross  in  the  village  of 


Cofa  and  Cofaqui  1 1 7 

Altapaha,  explaining  to  the  people  in  whose  memory 
it  was  done. 

The  army  moved  on  towards  the  sunrise,  the 
quarter  where  the  Indian  lad  said  Cofachiqui  lay. 
The  different  chronicles  of  the  expedition  diverge 
here  somewhat,  being  confused  about  the  route, 
giving  the  village  names  in  different  orders.  In  giv 
ing  their  accounts  of  the  expedition  afterwards,  the 
Spaniards  were  wont  to  say  that  they  never  ex 
pected  to  know  where  they  marched  in  Florida  until 
they  had  finished  serving  God  here  below  and  had 
gone  to  their  eternal  home,  when  the  exact  line  of 
their  march,  with  the  other  unknown  things  of  earth, 
would  be  revealed  to  them.  They  were  looking  for 
gold  and  not  topographical  knowledge ;  no  maps 
were  made,  no  bearings  taken,  and  individual  mem 
ory  is  the  only  authority  for  the  succession  of  names 
that  vaguely  track  them  for  us  to-day  through  the 
plantations,  towns,  and  railway  centres  that  occupy 
the  territory  and  forests  of  four  centuries  ago.  Cofa 
was  the  chief  of  the  next  village  where  a  halt  was 
made.  As  he  had  left  the  Christian  symbol  in 
Altapaha,  De  Soto  now  left  the  symbol  of  Christians 
in  Cofa.  This  was  the  one  small  cannon  which,  with 
infinite  trouble  and  vexation,  the  army  had  dragged 
along  with  them  so  far.  But  first,  to  show  the 
chief  what  he  was  leaving  with  him,  he  ordered  the 
cannon  to  be  drawn  in  front  of  the  chief's  house, 
loaded,  aimed,  and  fired  at  a  large,  beautiful  oak 
standing  outside  the  village.  In  two  shots  the  tree 
was  demolished,  the  chief  and  his  warriors  standing 


n8  Hernando  de  Soto 

by  speechless  and  motionless  from  awe  and  admira 
tion,  and  pride  that  so  wonderful  a  thing  was  con 
fided  to  them.  When  the  army  left  his  village, 
Cofa  provided  it  with  pack  bearers  and  guides  and 
interpreters,  and  he,  with  a  great  following  of  war 
riors,  accompanied  it  a  day's  march  towards  the  next 
territory,  which  belonged  to  his  brother  Cofaqui, 
whom  he  had  also  warned  by  a  forerunner  of  the 
coming  of  the  Spaniards,  bespeaking  hospitality  for 
them. 

Cofaqui,  acting  upon  the  recommendation,  pre 
pared  to  receive  the  strangers  in  a  manner  that 
would  impress  them  with  his  importance  and  great 
ness.  Before  they  entered  his  territory,  he  sent  a 
band  of  his  most  noble  warriors,  escorted  by  a  large 
body  of  followers,  to  bid  them  welcome  ;  and  as  they 
crossed  his  boundary,  the  pack  bearers  and  guides 
of  Cofa  were  dismissed  to  return  to  their  homes,  and 
their  places  were  taken  by  tribesmen  of  Cofaqui. 
When  the  sentinels  in  the  watch-tower  of  the  village 
gave  the  cry  that  the  Spanish  army  was  approaching, 
the  young  chief  and  his  body-guard  sallied  forth  to 
meet  them.  A  beautiful  sight  they  presented  to  the 
colour-loving  eyes  of  the  Spaniards,  and  if  the  lan 
guage  of  their  description  seems  exaggerated,  it  is 
doubtless  the  fault  of  their  eyes,  always  unreliable 
about  what  they  loved  to  look  upon.  All  hand 
some  and  all  young  they  were,  or  looked  to  be,  — 
the  attribute  of  the  warriors  of  Florida  that  may 
have  given  rise  to  the  myth  of  the  Fountain  of 
Bimini.  Their  heads  were  crowned  by  the  tallest 


Cofa  and  Cofaqui  119 

and  handsomest  of  war  bonnets;  over  their  shoulders 
hung  mantles  of  dyed  skins,  lustrous  and  bright  as 
satin  and  velvet ;  quivers  decked  with  bright  and 
dancing  tassels  rose  at  their  backs. 

The  ceremonies  of  greeting  and  speech  over,  the 
Adelantado  and  Cofaqui,  the  Spanish  officers  and 
Indian  warriors,  all  entered  the  village  together,  with 
great  show  of  good-will  and  cordiality,  interchanging 
their  signs  and  gestures,  and  passing  polite  messages 
to  one  another  through  their  interpreters.  The 
dwelling  of  the  chief  was  placed  at  the  disposi 
tion  of  De  Soto,  and  the  village  abandoned  to  the 
army;  and  the  rest  of  the  day  was  given  up  to  feast 
ing  and  jollity,  Cofaqui  retiring  in  the  evening 
with  his  people  to  a  neighbouring  village.  The 
next  morning  early  he  was  again  with  the  Adelan 
tado,  and  after  answering  at  length  and  freely  the 
questions  about  his  province  and  the  country,  he 
put  this  question :  "  I  should  like  to  know  your 
will,  whether  it  is  to  remain  here,  or  to  move  on 
farther ;  for  according  to  it  must  we  prepare  what 
is  needful  for  you."  The  Adelantado  answered 
that  he  was  going  in  search  of  other  provinces, 
which  he  had  been  told  lay  farther  ahead  of  him, 
one  of  them  being  called  Cofachiqui,  and  that  he 
would  not  stop  anywhere  until  he  had  seen  the 
whole  country.  The  land  of  Cofachiqui,  the  chief 
said,  was  next  to  his,  but  as  there  lay  betwixt  them 
a  vast  neutral  region  that  would  require  seven  days 
to  cross,  he  offered  to  send  people  to  escort  the 
army  and  to  carry  the  luggage  and  the  provisions, 


I2O  Hernando  de  Soto 

which  he  would  furnish.  He  at  once  set  about 
giving  his  orders  to  collect  with  all  speed  the  neces 
sary  supplies,  and  the  Indians  to  carry  them.  And 
so  great  was  the  obedience  of  his  people,  or  his  de 
sire  to  get  rid  of  the  Spaniards,  at  the  expense  of  his 
neighbours,  who  were  also  his  enemies,  that  four  days 
later  he  had  in  readiness  Indians,  thousands  in  num 
ber,  to  serve  as  pack  bearers,  and  a  fine  band  of 
warriors  for  guides  and  escorts.  Patofa,  the  war 
rior  chief,  who  led  all  of  Cofaqui's  war  parties,  was 
put  in  command.  The  Spaniards,  at  sight  of  such 
a  force,  although  collected  to  serve  them,  grew  sus 
picious  and  watchful,  and  kept  rigid  guard. 

On  the  last  night  before  their  march,  when  all 
was  ready  for  an  early  start  in  the  morning,  there 
came  the  secretly  expected  alarm  ringing  through 
the  air,  the  loudest  and  wildest  "  Help !  Help ! 
They  are  killing  me.  Treason  !  Treason  !  "  With 
a  "  To  arms,"  the  soldiers  rushed  out  with  their 
weapons,  and  formed  in  their  companies,  infantry 
and  cavalry.  They  waited;  no  enemy  came  —  no 
further  sound.  A  detail  was  sent  in  search  of  the 
cause  of  alarm.  It  was  found  to  be  one  of  the  two 
Indian  boys  captured  in  Apalache  —  Pedro  the 
Spaniards  had  dubbed  him.  The  other  boy,  whose 
name  had  also  been  Christianized  into  Marco,  had 
guided  the  army  over  all  the  country  that  he  knew. 
Pedro  was  now  to  take  his  turn  and  guide  the  way 
into  the  province  of  Cofachiqui,  where  he  had  said 
such  great  treasures  of  gold  and  silver  and  precious 
stones  were  to  be  gained.  The  soldiers  found  him 


Cofa  and  Cofaqui  121 

in  his  cabin,  crying,  shivering,  and  trembling  from 
fright.  The  devil,  with  a  most  terrible  face,  he  ex 
plained,  and  a  great  band  of  other  devils,  had  come 
and  told  him  that  he  must  not  guide  the  Spaniards 
where  he  had  promised,  under  pain  of  death ;  they 
had  seized  him,  dragged  him  out  of  his  bed  and 
over  the  floor,  beating  him  so  that  his  body  was 
too  bruised  and  sore  for  him  to  move.  He  thought 
that  they  would  have  finished  by  killing  him  if  the 
Spaniards  had  not  come ;  but  when  the  great  devil 
saw  them  coming  in  the  door  of  the  cabin,  he  had 
loosed  his  hold  and  fled  at  once  with  all  his  little 
devils.  From  this  Pedro  understood  that  the  devil 
was  afraid  of  Christians,  and  so  he  begged  and 
clamoured  to  them  to  baptize  him  at  once,  then 
and  there,  before  the  devils  came  back  to  kill  him  ; 
for  he  was  sure,  if  he  were  a  Christian,  they  would 
not  touch  him,  because  he  had  seen  them  flee  from 
the  Christians. 

The  Adelantado  and  other  officers  were  sum 
moned,  and  Pedro  repeated  his  story  to  them,  and 
showing  the  marks  and  bumps  and  bruises  all  over  his 
face  and  body  in  proof  of  the  blows  received.  The 
Adelantado  ordered  the  priests  to  be  called.  They 
came  and  listened  to  Pedro,  and  after  hearing  the 
story,  baptized  him  at  once  and  stayed  with  him  all 
night,  reciting  prayers  and  giving  him  restoratives, 
and  the  next  day  they  confirmed  him.  The  march 
was  put  off  a  day,  and  when  the  army  started,  Pedro 
was  given  a  horse  to  ride,  for  he  said  he  could  neither 
stand  nor  walk. 


122  Hernando  de  Soto 

The  two  armies  marched  well  separated  from  one 
another,  and  at  night  camped  apart,  the  pack  bearers, 
as  soon  as  they  had  delivered  their  loads  to  the 
Spaniards,  filing  off  to  sleep  with  their  own  people, 
and  Indians  and  Spaniards  alike  posting  sentinels, 
as  if  in  fear  of  declared  enemies.  The  Spaniards 
were  suspicious ;  but  the  Indians,  free  and  easy, 
anxious  only  to  please  and  serve  the  Spaniards  in 
every  way  possible,  adopted  their  military  precau 
tions  only  through  imitativeness.  The  uninhabited 
neutral  territory,  the  Despoblado,  as  the  Spaniards 
called  it,  was  a  pleasant  enough  country  for  marching. 
The  woods  were  open,  the  hills  light,  and  the  streams 
small  and  easy  to  cross,  with  the  exception  of  two, 
whose  current  was  so  furious  that  the  horses  were 
ranged  side  by  side  to  break  the  force  of  it,  so  that 
the  foot-soldiers  could  pass  through. 

All  went  well  until  the  seventh  day,  about  noon, 
when  the  two  armies  were  thrown  into  great  con 
fusion  and  perplexity.  The  road  hitherto  followed, 
a  broad,  smooth  highway,  came  suddenly  to  an  end, 
and  although  there  were  several  footpaths  leading 
from  it,  each  one  of  them  after  a  few  paces  lost 
itself  in  the  forest.  The  Indians  in  Patofa's  army 
as  well  as  in  De  Soto's  confessed  that  they  were  all 
astray,  and  there  was  not  one  among  them  who 
knew  where  he  was,  nor  in  what  direction  to  go 
to  get  out  of  the  forest.  The  Adelantado  sum 
moned  Patofa,  and  confident  now  in  his  suspicions, 
accused  him  of  leading  the  Spanish  army  astray. 
But  Patofa  indignantly  swore  that  neither  he  nor 


Cofa  and  Cofaqui  123 

any  Indian  in  his  command  had  ever  before  reached 
the  spot  they  were  now  in,  for,  in  all  the  warfare 
between  the  two  provinces,  Cofachiqui  had  always 
proved  so  superior  in  numbers  and  strength  that 
the  people  of  Cofaqui  had  not  dared  to  venture 
beyond  the  boundaries  of  their  own  province  ;  this 
alone  was  the  reason,  he  said,  why  they  did  not 
know  where  they  were,  or  how  to  go  on.  And 
moreover,  he  added,  if  the  Spanish  general  suspected 
him  of  leading  the  Spanish  army  there  out  of  malice 
or  treason,  he  would  tell  him  that  he  and  his  chief 
were  truthful  men  and  above  such  perfidy.  De  Soto 
then  called  Pedro,  who  up  to  this  time  had  been 
so  certain  of  his  route  that  he  could  tell  always  the 
night  before  what  the  next  day's  stage  would  be. 
But  like  the  rest  of  the  Indians,  Pedro  seemed  to 
have  lost  his  memory,  and  he  now  declared  that 
it  was  four  or  five  years  since  he  had  been  over 
that  road,  and  he  had  forgotten  it  so  completely  that 
he  did  not  know  the  way  any  farther,  nor  would  he 
even  suggest  in  what  direction  Cofachiqui  lay.  See 
ing  him  deprived  so  suddenly  of  his  knowledge,  the 
soldiers  suggested  that  the  devil  had  been  after  him 
again  ;  but  devil  or  no  devil,  De  Soto  in  his  anger 
threatened  to  throw  him  to  the  dogs,  and  he  would 
have  done  so  if  Juan  Ortiz,  who  needed  him  as  an 
interpreter,  had  not  begged  him  off.  The  rest  of 
the  day  was  spent  pushing  along  wherever  the  forest 
was  thin  enough  to  pass  through,  until  about  sunset 
they  were  stopped  by  a  river,  wider  than  any  seen 
yet,  and  too  deep  to  ford. 


124  Hernando  de  Soto 

And  now  the  anxiety  and  perplexity  grew  yet 
greater,  for  there  were  not  provisions  enough  in  the 
army  to  last  if  it  delayed  to  make  rafts  and  canoes. 
Cofaqui's  supplies  had  been  measured  only  for 
seven  days,  and  although  thousands  of  Indians  had 
been  ostentatiously  sent  along  to  carry  them,  their 
loads  were  not  half  the  weight  of  an  ordinary  one,  as 
the  Spaniards  now  found  out,  for  each  pack  bearer 
besides  his  load  carried  his  bow  and  quiver.  Al 
though  the  day  before  proclamation  had  been  made 
that  food  was  to  be  saved  and  measured,  as  it  was 
feared  that  the  army  would  not  reach  the  end  of 
its  march  as  early  as  expected,  the  notice  came  too 
late  ;  there  were  no  provisions  left  to  be  saved.  So 
here  were  nearly  one  thousand  Spaniards  and  three 
hundred  and  fifty  horses  to  feed,  and  nothing  to  eat 
in  sight  but  roots  and  herbs.  The  horsemen  were 
sent  out  to  hunt  at  random  in  all  directions  for  a 
road.  At  nightfall  they  returned,  faint  and  weary, 
leading  their  exhausted  horses,  with  no  road  or  sign 
of  habitation  found.  By  the  next  dawn  De  Soto 
had  started  out  four  detachments,  two  of  horse  and 
two  of  foot,  to  follow  the  course  of  the  river  up 
and  down  until  they  found  some  inhabited  coun 
try.  The  camp  awaited  their  return  in  the  pangs 
of  starvation.  Their  great  hunger,  the  soldiers 
afterwards  called  this  experience.  The  daily  meas 
ure  of  corn  could  be  counted  by  the  grain.  The 
soldiers  spent  these  days  searching  for  edible  roots 
and  herbs.  The  Indians  hunted  and  fished  inde- 
fatigably ;  but  a  few  birds  and  minnows  was  all  they 


Cofa  and  Cofaqui  125 

brought  back  after  a  day's  effort ;  and  although 
starving  themselves,  they  would  force  these  upon 
the  Spaniards,  who,  however,  says  the  chronicle, 
always  returned  half.  At  last  the  Adelantado  saw 
that  he  must  kill  the  swine.  The  hogs  brought 
from  Cuba  had  multiplied  into  a  herd,  which  had 
been  carefully  guarded,  and  brought  along  with  the 
army,  in  view  of  just  such  a  crisis.  But  killing  as 
many  as  they  dared,  —  for  breeders  had  to  be  re 
served, —  the  rations  of  meat  were  so  small  that  they 
seemed  rather  to  aggravate  than  still  the  soldiers' 
hunger.  And  so,  as  the  soldiers  said,  cheerfulness 
and  courage  were  after  all  their  best  substitute  for 
food.  Officers  and  men  fared  alike;  for  the  Ade 
lantado  would  never,  and  even  in  this  dire  strait, 
fare  better  than  his  soldiers. 

Juan  d'Anasco  commanded  one  of  the  four  de 
tachments,  and  with  him  went  Patofa  with  a  band 
of  warriors.  They  went  up  the  river.  After  trav 
elling  three  days  they  came  to  a  village.  Very  few 
people,  but  great  quantities  of  food,  were  found  in  it. 
The  gladness  of  the  famished  men  may  be  imagined, 
and  when  they  had  killed  their  hunger,  as  they  ex 
pressed  it,  they  mounted  to  a  housetop  ;  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach  they  saw  along  the  banks  of  the 
river,  villages,  with  cornfields  lying  all  around. 
Four  troopers  at  once  started  back  to  carry  the  good 
news  to  the  Adelantado,  —  and  that  night,  while 
the  Spaniards  were  sleeping,  Patofa  and  his  men 
sated  their  thirst  for  the  blood  of  their  enemies. 
Slipping  away  from  their  allies  they  fell  upon  the 


126  Hernando  de  Soto 

unsuspecting  village  of  Cofachiqui,  and  for  once,  if 
not  forever,  settled  scores  with  their  foes.  The 
Spaniards  understood  now  the  true  significance  of 
Cofaqui's  generous  escort  of  warriors,  and  train  of 
pack  bearers. 

The  news  of  food  in  the  hungry  camp  roused  it 
from  death  to  life.  The  soldiers  did  not  wait  for 
orders,  but  each  one  sped  for  himself,  guided  by 
Juan  d'Anasco's  blazing  on  the  trees.  The  Ade- 
lantado  and  those  who  had  the  best  horses  reached 
the  village  in  twelve  hours,  the  rest  as  their  horses 
or  legs  brought  them.  The  Adelantado  put  an  im 
mediate  end  to  Patofa's  bloody  work  by  sending 
him  and  his  people  back  to  Cofaqui,  but  with  much 
largess  of  presents  and  thanks.  And  none  too  soon ; 
for  when  the  army,  resuming  its  march,  advanced 
up  the  river  through  the  line  of  villages,  no  live 
Indians  were  found,  only  dead  ones;  men,  women, 
and  children,  and  all  scalped. 


CHAPTER  XI 

COFACHIQUI 

AT  last  the  Spaniards  were  in  the  land  of  Co- 
fachiqui !  While  the  army  camped  for  the 
night,  the  enterprising  Juan  d'Anasco  with 
a  small  party  went  out  on  a  private  reconnoissance. 
They  were  back  again  before  day,  reporting  the  dis 
covery  of  a  large  village  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river,  about  two  leagues  distant.1  The  Adelantado 
at  once  started  for  it  himself  with  an  escort,  and, 
following  the  bank  of  the  river,  soon  reached  the 
canoe-landing  opposite  the  village.  Juan  Ortiz  and 
Pedro  called  loudly  for  some  one  to  bear  a  mes 
sage  to  the  chief.  Indians  came  out,  but  seeing 
the  strange  wonder  of  Spaniards  and  horses  on  the 
other  bank,  they  turned  and  ran  with  all  speed  back 
into  the  village.  Soon  six  warriors  came  to  the 
bank ;  men  of  fine  presence  and,  as  the  Spaniards 
judged,  of  authority.  They  entered  a  canoe  with 
a  number  of  rowers,  and  quickly  crossed  the  river 
and  landed.  Advancing  towards  the  strangers,  all 
six  of  them  at  the  same  time  made  three  profound 

1  Indian  traditions  locate  Cofachiqui  at  the  modern  Silver  Bluff  on  the  east  bank 
of  the  Savannah,  in  Barnwell  County,  South  Carolina. 

127 


128  Hernando  de  Soto 

bows,  the  first  towards  the  east,  to  the  sun,  the  sec 
ond  towards  the  west,  to  the  moon,  and  the  third 
to  the  Adelantado.  The  Adelantado  was  seated  in 
state  on  a  throne,  or  rather  in  a  large  arm-chair, 
which  he  carried  along  with  him  wherever  he  went, 
and  always  sat  in  to  receive  chiefs  and  deputations. 
"Sir,'*  said  the  warrior  spokesman,  "do  you  wish 
peace  or  war  ?  "  "  Peace,"  answered  the  Adelan 
tado,  as  usual,  "not  war";  adding  that  he  only 
asked  passage  through  the  territory,  and  provisions, 
in  order  to  reach  other  provinces  that  he  was  in 
quest  of;  he  desired  rafts  and  canoes  also  to  cross 
the  army  over  the  river,  and  lastly,  friendly  treat 
ment  while  he  was  marching  through  the  country, 
so  that  he  might  cause  it  the  least  damage  possible. 
Peace,  the  Indians  said,  they  could  promise;  as 
for  food,  they  had  themselves  but  little,  because 
during  the  past  year  a  pestilence  had  raged  through 
out  the  province,  and  it  had  driven  the  people  from 
their  villages  into  the  woods,  so  that  they  had  not 
planted  their  fields  ;  and  although  the  pestilence 
was  now  over,  very  few  of  the  Indians  had  returned 
to  their  homes.  The  village  opposite  alone  had 
been  free  of  it.  They  went  on  to  explain  that  their 
village  was  named  Cofachiqui,  and  that  their  chief 
was  a  woman,  a  young  girl,  but  recently  raised  to 
the  position ;  they  would  return  and  bear  to  her  the 
demands  of  the  strangers,  who  in  the  meantime 
must  await  her  answer ;  with  good  confidence, 
however,  for  although  their  chieftain  was  a  girl 
she  had  the  judgment  and  spirit  of  a  man,  and  as 


Cofachiqui  1 29 

such  would  do  for  the  Spaniards  all  that  she  pos 
sibly  could.  With  this  the  six  warriors  returned  to 
their  boats  and  crossing  the  river,  disappeared  in  the 
village.  Only  a  few  moments  later  the  Spaniards 
saw  two  large  canoes  hastily  being  made  ready,  mats 
and  cushions  laid  in  them,  and  a  canopy  raised 
over  one  of  them.  Then  a  litter  approached  the 
bank,  borne  upon  the  shoulders  of  four  warriors  ;  a 
young  squaw,  evidently  the  princess,  descended  from 
it  and  seated  herself  in  the  canoe  that  had  the  awn 
ing.  Eight  Indian  women  followed,  taking  the  pad 
dles  ;  the  men  went  in  the  other  canoe.  The  women 
rowed  the  princess  across  the  river,  and  when  she 
stepped  out  of  the  canoe,  they  followed,  walking  up 
the  bank  after  her. 

Those  among  the  cavaliers  who  knew  classical 
history  could  not  help  reminding  one  another, 
although  this  scene  was  rustic  and  simple  in  com 
parison,  of  Cleopatra  going  down  the  river  Cydnus 
to  meet  Mark  Antony.  The  princess,  making  a  low 
reverence  before  the  Spanish  general,  seated  herself 
upon  her  throne,  a  kind  of  bench  that  her  attend 
ants  brought  and  placed  for  her  at  his  side,  and 
without  waiting  for  him,  she  began  to  speak.  She 
repeated  what  her  warriors  had  said ;  that  the  pesti 
lence  of  the  past  year  made  it  impossible  for  her  to 
furnish  the  amount  of  provisions  she  would  wish, 
but  that  she  would  do  all  that  was  in  her  power. 
And,  that  De  Soto  might  see  her  will  in  her  deed, 
she  gave  him  at  once  one  of  her  two  storehouses  of 
corn,  collected  in  the  village  for  the  relief  of  her 


130  Hernando  de  Soto 

people  who  had  escaped  from  the  pestilence ;  the 
other  one  she  prayed  De  Soto  kindly  to  spare  for 
her  own  necessities,  which  were  great.  In  a  village 
near  by  there  was  another  store  of  corn  from  which, 
she  said,  he  could  take  as  he  needed.  For  his  lodge 
ment,  she  would  give  up  her  own  dwelling,  and  she 
would  order  half  the  village  to  be  vacated  for  a  part 
of  his  army ;  but  the  rest  of  his  soldiers  would 
have  to  content  themselves  with  shelters  of  green 
branches,  which  she  would  have  put  up  for  them. 
If  it  would  please  him  more,  she  and  her  people 
would  abandon  the  entire  village,  and  retire  to  a 
neighbouring  one.  Canoes  and  rafts  would  be 
ready  on  the  following  day. 

The  Adelantado  replied  most  graciously  and  gal 
lantly,  accepting  her  services  in  the  name  of  the 
emperor  and  king  of  Spain,  his  master,  who  would 
repay  them,  he  said,  when  time  and  occasion  offered ; 
as  for  himself  and  his  army,  he  promised  that  her 
great  hospitality  and  kindness  should  never  be 
forgotten.  Conversing  further  about  her  province 
and  other  parts  of  the  country,  the  young  girl  re 
plied  to  all  the  questions  put  by  the  Adelantado 
with  such  ease,  well-ordered  ideas,  and  sound  judg 
ment  as  the  Spaniards  could  hardly  believe  pos 
sible  for  one  reared  so  far  from  schools  and  courts. 
But  they  had  noticed  that  the  Indians  of  the  prov 
inces  they  were  now  travelling  through  were  more 
delicate  and  refined  in  appearance,  more  affable  and 
less  fierce,  than  all  the  others  met  in  the  discovery. 
While  talking,  the  princess  had  quietly  and  slowly 


Cofachiqui  131 

unwound  a  long  string  of  pearls  as  large  as  hazel- 
nuts  that  coiled  three  times  round  her  neck  and  fell 
to  her  waist,  fingering  and  playing  with  them  while 
the  interview  lasted.  When  it  was  over,  she 
handed  them  to  Juan  Ortiz  and  told  him  to  give 
them  to  the  governor.  They  would  be  valued 
more,  Juan  said,  should  she  give  them  with  her 
own  hands.  She  replied  that  she  dared  not  do  that 
for  fear  of  going  against  the  modesty  which  all 
women  should  hold  fast.  Asking  what  the  young 
girl  was  saying  and  being  told,  the  Adelantado  said : 
"  More  than  the  pearls  themselves  would  I  value 
the  favour  of  receiving  them  from  her  hands ;  and 
in  acting  so  she  would  not  go  against  modesty,  for 
we  are  treating  of  peace  and  friendship,  of  all  things 
the  most  important,  most  serious  between  strange 
peoples/* 

The  princess,  after  hearing  this,  rose  and  gave  the 
pearls  with  her  own  hands  to  the  Adelantado.  He 
also  rose  to  receive  them,  and  taking  from  his  finger 
a  golden  ring  set  with  a  handsome  ruby  that  he 
always  wore,  he  gave  it  to  the  princess.  She  re 
ceived  it  with  great  dignity  and  placed  it  on  one 
of  her  fingers.  This  little  ceremony  over,  she  took 
her  leave  and  returned  to  her  village,  leaving  the 
Spanish  cavaliers  charmed  and  half  in  love  with 
her,  not  only  on  account  of  her  mind,  but  of  her 
beauty,  which  they  vowed  then  and  ever  afterwards 
she  possessed  to  the  extreme  of  perfection.  And 
so  also  then  and  afterwards  they  called  her  by  no 
other  name  or  title  than  La  Senora,  the  Lady  of  Co- 


132  Hernando  de  Soto 

fachiqui ;  and  the  name  was  right,  says  the  chron 
icler,  for  a  lady  she  was  in  all  respects.  The  mas 
ter  of  camp  arrived  with  the  rest  of  the  army,  and 
it  was  put  across  the  river  next  day  by  means  of  the 
rafts  and  canoes  provided  by  the  Indians. 

Learning  that  the  widowed  mother  of  the  prin 
cess  lived  in  retirement  about  fifty  miles  away, 
the  Adelantado  wishing,  as  he  said,  to  make  sure 
of  peace  and  tranquillity  as  long  as  he  was  in  the 
country,  determined  to  get  her  into  his  power.  He 
therefore  requested  the  princess  to  send  a  message 
to  her  mother  to  pay  a  visit  to  her.  The  princess 
did  so,  urging  her  mother  to  come  and  see  a  people 
never  seen  before  in  those  parts,  who  went  about 
on  the  strangest  kind  of  animals.  The  widow  not 
only  refused  to  come,  but  when  she  had  heard  how 
kindly  her  daughter  had  received  the  strangers,  she 
fell  into  a  temper  and  soundly  rated  the  warrior  who 
brought  the  message  for  having  consented  to  so  easy 
and  quick  a  friendship  with  a  people,  the  like  of 
whom,  as  they  said,  they  had  never  seen  before. 
She  added  many  other  pruderies,  the  Spaniards  said, 
such  as  irate  widows  and  mothers  the  world  over 
are  wont  to  scold  about.  All  of  this  being  duly 
reported  to  the  Adelantado  made  him  more  de 
termined  to  get  hold  of  her.  He  sent  for  Juan 
d'Anasco,  and  ordered  him  as  one,  he  said,  who  had 
a  lucky  hand  in  such  affairs,  to  take  thirty  soldiers, 
and  disregarding  the  privacy  and  seclusion  of  the 
lady  widow  to  bring  her  with  all  the  friendliness  and 
kindness  in  the  world  by  force  with  him  to  the  camp. 


Cofachiqui  133 

Juan  d'Anasco,  although  the  day  was  already  ad 
vanced,  set  out  at  once  on  a  mission  that  came 
ready  made  to  his  taste.  The  princess  herself  with 
her  own  hands  presented  the  guide  to  him  ;  a  young 
warrior,  who,  she  explicitly  directed,  when  the  party 
neared  the  dwelling-place  of  the  old  princess,  was  to 
go  in  advance  and  warn  her  of  the  Spaniards'  com 
ing,  and  supplicate  her  to  go  peaceably  and  as  a 
friend  with  them ;  and  he  was  to  be  sure  to  say  that 
her  daughter  and  all  her  people  made  the  same  peti 
tion  to  her.  The  young  warrior  had  been  reared 
in  the  very  arms  of  the  old  princess,  and  she  loved 
him  as  her  own  son ;  and  the  daughter  chose  him 
on  this  account,  hoping  that  love  for  the  messenger 
would  mitigate  the  pain  inflicted  by  his  message. 
The  young  warrior  matched  his  princess-chief  in 
looks  and  bearing.  He  was  about  twenty-one, 
and  nothing  less  than  beautiful  in  face  and  fig 
ure  ;  and  as  the  Spaniards  expressed  it,  the  nobil 
ity  of  his  air  stood  to  the  nobility  of  his  blood, 
as  does  the  flower  to  the  fruit.  And  gallant  enough 
he  was  in  dress  for  such  an  embassy,  with  his  dia 
dem  of  the  rarest  feathers,  mantle  of  finest  deer 
skin,  magnificent  bow,  and  elegant  quiver  of  arrows. 

Chatting  gayly  as  he  went  along,  he  entertained 
the  Spaniards  with  all  manner  of  happy  pleasantries. 
About  midday  the  party  stopped  to  eat  and  to  rest 
awhile  under  the  shade  of  a  grove  of  trees,  for  it 
was  very  warm.  Sitting  apart  the  guide  seemed  to 
give  himself  up  to  thought,  resting  his  head  on  his 
hand  and  every  now  and  then  breathing  a  long 


Hernando  de  Soto 

sigh.  He  took  off  his  quiver,  put  it  on  the  ground 
before  him,  and  began  slowly,  one  by  one,  to  draw 
the  arrows  from  it,  passing  them  on  to  the  Spaniards 
who  came  round  to  look  at  them.  In  polish  and 
workmanship  they  were,  indeed,  exquisite.  Some 
had  heads  of  stag-horn,  sharpened  and  polished  like 
diamonds  ;  some  of  fish  bones,  wonderfully  and  cun 
ningly  adapted.  Others  were  tipped  with  palm  and 
various  other  hard  woods,  pointed  like  steel  or 
iron.  The  Spaniards  broke  into  exclamations  of  sur 
prise  and  pleasure  over  them,  for  each  one  had  some 
particular  beauty  and  novelty  of  its  own.  At  last 
the  young  warrior  drew  out  a  flint  head,  long  and  flat, 
pointed  and  edged  like  the  blade  of  a  dagger ;  with 
a  quick  motion  he  plunged  this  into  his  throat  and 
fell.  Before  the  Spaniards  could  rush  to  him,  he 
was  dead.  Astounded  and  shocked,  they  ques 
tioned  the  Indian  attendants.  Their  answers  pieced 
out  the  explanation,  that  the  young  warrior  knew 
that  his  mission  was  that  of  an  enemy  against 
the  old  princess,  because  when  other  messengers 
had  been  sent  to  her  she  had  refused  to  go  and 
see  the  Spaniards,  and  for  him  now  to  guide 
those  same  Spaniards  to  where  she  was,  that  they 
by  fair  means  or  foul  might  take  her  away  with 
them,  was  not  according  to  the  love  she  had  always 
shown  him,  nor  the  care  with  which  as  mother  and 
princess  she  had  reared  him.  And  at  the  same 
time  it  was  clear  to  him  that  if  he  did  not  do  what 
the  young  princess  commanded  him,  he  would  fall 
into  disgrace  with  her  and  be  dismissed  from  her 


Cofachiqui 

service.  Either  of  these  two  misfortunes  seemed 
more  painful  than  death ;  and  as  whatever  he  did 
for  one  would  be  against  the  other,  and  as  he  could 
not  live  to  please  both,  he  determined  to  die  for  both. 

The  Indian  attendants  were  then  pressed  to  act 
as  guides,  but  they  all  swore,  whether  truly  or 
falsely,  that  they  did  not  know  where  the  old  prin 
cess  lived ;  that  the  young  warrior  alone  knew  the 
secret  of  her  hiding-place.  The  Spaniards  strove 
for  two  days  to  push  along  without  a  guide,  but  the 
difficulties  under  foot,  and  the  excessive  heat,  with 
the  weight  of  their  armour,  wearied  and  disgusted 
them,  and  they  returned  empty  handed  to  the  camp. 
Three  days  later  Juan  d'Anasco  made  another  at 
tempt,  this  time  by  water,  and  came  almost  within 
reach  of  his  prize,  but  the  old  lady,  warned  that  the 
Christians  were  after  her,  fled  farther  away  and  hid 
herself  where  she  could  not  be  tracked.  It  was  the 
gossip  of  the  camp  that  Afiasco's  persistence  and 
energy  were  not  directed  so  much  after  the  widow 
as  after  a  great  treasure  of  pearls  that  rumour  whis 
pered  she  had  with  her. 

Meanwhile  the  Adelantado  had  been  in  pursuit 
of  surer  treasures  at  hand  —  those  that  were  to 
make  the  conquerors  lords  and  wealthy  for  life, 
visions  of  which  had  kept  them  awake  at  night 
in  restless  anxiety.  He  began  by  summoning  the 
princess  before  him  and  his  officers,  and  confronting 
her  with  Pedro  and  Marco,  who  were  ordered  to 
tell  her  that  she  was  commanded  to  bring  all  the 
yellow  and  white  metals  and  pearls  she  possessed, 


136  Hernando  de  Soto 

like  the  finger  rings  and  pieces  of  silver,  and  pearls 
and  stones  set  in  the  rings,  that  the  Spaniards 
showed  her.  The  princess  without  hesitation  spoke 
to  her  attendants,  and  they  at  once  ran  in  all  haste 
and  came  back  fetching  a  great  quantity  of  shining 
gold-coloured  copper,  so  much  brighter  than  the 
brightest  brass  that  the  Indian  boys  might  well  have 
been  deceived  into  thinking  it  gold.  For  silver, 
were  brought  forward  great  white  slabs  as  thick  as 
planks,  shining  like  silver,  but  having  no  weight 
whatever  and  crumbling  between  the  ringers  like  dry 
earth.  As  for  precious  stones,  the  princess  said 
there  were  none  in  her  land,  but  there  were  pearls ; 
and  if  the  Spaniards  wished,  they  might  go  up 
there,  pointing  with  her  finger  to  a  temple  that 
stood  upon  a  mound.  "  That,"  said  she,  "  is  the 
burial-place  of  the  warriors  of  this  village ;  there 
you  will  find  our  pearls.  Take  what  you  wish ; 
and  if  you  wish  more,  not  far  from  here  there  is  a 
village  which  was  the  home  of  my  forefathers ;  its 
temple  is  a  far  larger  one  than  this ;  you  will  find 
there  so  many  pearls  that  even  if  you  loaded  all 
your  horses  with  them,  and  yourselves  with  as  much 
as  you  could  carry,  you  would  not  come  to  the  end 
of  them.  Take  all,  and  if  you  still  want  more,  we 
can  get  more,  and  even  more  still  for  you  from  the 
fishing-places  of  my  people."  This  great  news  and 
the  magnificent  way  in  which  it  was  told,  raised  the 
spirits  of  the  Spaniards  considerably,  and  consoled 
them  somewhat  for  their  bitter  and  keen  disappoint 
ment  about  the  gold  and  silver. 


Cofachiqui  137 

While  waiting  for  Juan  d'Anasco,  the  royal  treas 
urer,  to  return,  the  Adelantado  set  a  trusty  guard 
about  the  temple,  and  at  night  himself  went  the 
rounds  for  fear  that  the  secret  of  the  wealth  inside 
might  come  to  the  soldiers  and  excite  their  cupidity 
into  some  lawless  attempt ;  and  as  soon  as  D' Afiasco 
made  his  report,  he  took  him  and  all  the  royal  fiscal 
officers,  and  thirty  cavaliers  to  the  temple,  opened 
the  door  and  entered  it.  The  usual  burial-room  of 
Indian  temples  was  presented  to  them.  Around 
the  four  sides  on  benches  were  ranged  the  burial- 
chests  of  the  tribe  —  chests  of  wood  or  great  baskets 
of  finely  plaited  osier.  The  Spaniards  lifted  the 
covers ;  all  were  filled  to  the  top  with  pearls,1  large 
and  small,  fine  and  coarse,  pure  and  discoloured, 
quantities  upon  quantities  of  them.  And  here  and 
there  over  the  floor  lay  heaps  of  the  finest  skins, 
dressed  with  the  fur  on,  and  dyed,  hardly  less  valuable 
in  European  markets  than  the  pearls.  It  seemed  to 
the  Adelantado  and  his  companions  that  there  were 
no  less  than  thousands  of  bushels  of  pearls  in  the 
temple,  and  while  the  Adelantado  was  looking 
around,  the  officers  of  the  treasury  began  quickly  to 

1  C.  C.  Jones,  in  "  Antiquities  of  the  Southern  Indians,"  after  careful  examina 
tion  of  the  subject,  states  that  sufficient  historical  evidence  has  been  adduced  to  sat 
isfy  the  mind  of  any  candid  observer,  beyond  reasonable  doubt,  that  the  quantity  and 
value  of  the  pearls  possessed  by  the  Indians  of  the  sixteenth  century  have  not  been 
exaggerated  by  the  Spanish  chroniclers.  The  numerous  shell  heaps  upon  the  Gulf 
coast  and  the  banks  of  the  inland  rivers  and  lakes  furnish  indications  of  the  local 
sources  whence  the  pearls  were  procured.  Examinations  of  the  Unionidae  found  at 
the  present  day,  in  the  Southern  streams  and  lakes,  have  revealed  in  them  seed  pearls 
in  great  quantities.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  rarer  gems  may  have  been  procured  by 
trade  from  the  Gulf  islands,  and  Pearl  Islands  of  Central  America,  even  from  the 
Pacific  Ocean. 


138  Hernando  de  Soto 

weigh  them,  in  their  scales,  which  they  had  brought 
along.  When  he  saw  what  they  were  doing,  he  told 
them  that  the  army  could  not  be  hampered  and  bur 
dened  by  heavy  loads  of  pearls ;  that  his  intention 
was  to  take  only  two  arrobas  of  them  (fifty  pounds), 
to  show  their  quality  and  purity ;  as  for  the  quan 
tity,  he  said  that  would  have  to  be  described  in 
writing.  The  treasury  officers  implored  him  to  let 
them  take  what  had  been  weighed,  which  they  said 
could  not  be  missed  from  what  was  left.  He  con 
sented  to  that,  and  dipping  into  the  pearls,  he  gave 
his  two  joined  hands  full  to  each  cavalier  to  make 
rosaries  of,  he  said,  to  say  prayers  for  their  sins  on. 
So  they  left  the  temple  elated,  but  also  ardent  to 
see  the  other  one,  which  the  princess  said  was  larger 
and  richer  than  this. 

Two  days  later  the  same  officers  and  cavaliers, 
with  a  company  of  picked  soldiers,  set  out  to  visit 
it.  The  distance  was  about  a  league,  through  what 
seemed  to  be  a  garden,  so  green  was  the  country 
with  shrubbery  and  fruit  trees,  growing  in  regular 
order,  as  if  they  had  been  planted  by  hand.  The 
party  rode  pleasantly  chatting  through  them,  pick 
ing  the  fruit  and  admiring  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  in 
happy  content  —  the  golden  dawn,  as  it  were,  of  the 
realization  of  their  dreams  brightening  before  them. 

They  found  the  village  of  Talomeco,  as  it  was 
called,  situated  upon  the  high  bank  of  the  river. 
It  held  about  five  hundred  cabins,  all  strong  and 
well  built;  and  from  its  superiority  of  size  and 
appearance  over  other  villages,  it  looked  as  if  it 


Cofachiqui  139 

might  really  once  have  been  the  seat  and  residence 
of  a  powerful  chief.  His  house  on  its  mound  rose 
dominantly  —  but  it  was  in  turn  dominated  by  the 
temple.  The  Spaniards*  eyes,  in  fact,  could  see 
nothing  but  the  temple  —  more  than  one  hundred 
paces  long,  and  half  as  wide,  with  a  tall,  pointed  roof, 
that  glittered  before  them  like  a  thing  of  magic. 
Canes,  slender  and  supple,  woven  into  a  fine  mat, 
served  for  thatching,  and  this  was  studded  with  row 
upon  row  of  all  kinds  and  sizes  of  shells,  with  the 
lustrous  side  out ;  great  sea-shells  of  curious  shapes, 
conchs  and  periwinkles ;  and  between  these  shells 
dropped  strands  of  pearls  falling  all  the  way  from 
cone  to  edge  —  a  marvel  of  playing  light  and  colour, 
like  the  drippings  of  a  summer  shower  with  the  sun 
shining  through. 

Throwing  open  the  two  large  doors,  the  Span 
iards  paused  at  the  threshold,  spellbound.  Twelve 
gigantic  statues  of  wood  confronted  them,  counter 
feiting  life,  with  such  ferocity  of  expression  and  such 
audacity  of  posture  as  could  not  but  awe  them.  Six 
stood  on  one  side,  and  six  on  the  other  side  of  the 
door,  as  if  to  guard  it  and  forbid  any  one  to  enter. 
The  first  ones,  those  next  the  door,  were  giants 
about  twelve  feet  high,  the  others  diminished  in  size 
by  regular  gradation.  Each  pair  held  a  different 
kind  of  weapon  and  stood  in  attitude  to  use  it. 
The  first  and  largest  raised  in  both  hands  great 
clubs,  ornamented  a  quarter  of  their  length  with 
points  and  facets  of  copper ;  the  second  brandished 
broadswords  of  wood  shaped  much  like  the  steel 


140  Hernando  de  Soto 

swords  of  the  Spaniards.  The  next  ones  wielded 
wooden  staves  about  six  feet  long,  the  end  flattened 
out  into  a  blade  or  paddle ;  the  fourth  pair  had 
tomahawks  with  blades  of  brass  or  flint ;  the  fifth 
held  bows  with  arrows  aimed,  and  strings  drawn 
ready  to  shoot ;  the  sixth  and  last  statues  grasped 
pikes  pointed  with  copper. 

Passing  between  the  file  of  monsters,  the  Span 
iards  entered  the  great  room.  Overhead  were  rows 
of  lustrous  shells  such  as  covered  the  roof,  and 
the  strands  of  pearls ;  but  interspersed  among  the 
strands  of  pearls  were  strands  of  bright  feathers,  and 
clusters  of  feathers  strung  on  a  fine,  dull-coloured 
thread,  so  that  the  feathers  and  pearls  seemed  to  be 
floating  in  the  air.  It  was  most  beautiful.  Look 
ing  lower,  the  Spaniards  saw  that  along  the  upper 
sides  of  the  four  walls  ran  two  rows  of  statues,  fig 
ures  of  men  and  women  of  natural  size,  each  placed 
on  a  separate  pedestal.  The  men  held  various 
weapons,  and  each  weapon  was  ornamented  with 
strings  of  pearls,  coiling  around  them  five  or  six 
times ;  the  pearls  separated  at  regular  distances  by 
tassels  of  coloured  threads,  which  much  enhanced 
their  effect.  The  women  had  nothing  in  their  hands. 
All  the  space  around  these  statues  was  covered  with 
shields  of  skins  and  fine  cane  mats;  and  these  were 
also  ornamented  with  pearl  ornaments  and  strings 
of  pearls  brightened  with  tassels  of  thread.  As  in 
the  other  temple,  the  burial-chests  were  placed  on 
benches  around  the  four  sides  of  the  room,  but  in  the 
centre,  upon  the  floor,  were  also  rows  of  caskets, 


Cofachiqui  141 

placed  one  on  the  top  of  another,  rising  in  regular 
gradation  like  pyramids.  All  of  the  caskets,  large 
and  small,  were  filled  with  pearls,  and  the  pearls  too 
were  distributed  according  to  size,  the  largest  in  the 
largest  caskets,  the  smallest,  the  seed  pearls,  in  the 
smallest  infants'  caskets.  In  all  there  was  such  a 
quantity  of  pearls  that,  seeing  it  with  their  own  eyes, 
the  Spaniards  confessed  that  what  the  princess  had 
said  about  the  temple  was  truth  and  not  pride  and 
exaggeration.  As  she  declared,  even  if  they  loaded 
themselves  with  as  much  as  they  could  carry  (and 
there  were  more  than  nine  hundred  of  them),  and 
loaded  their  three  hundred  horses  with  them,  they 
could  not  take  them  all ;  there  would  still  be  hun 
dreds  of  bushels  of  them  left.  And  in  addition 
there  were,  as  in  the  other  temple,  great  heaps  of 
the  largest  and  handsomest  deerskins,  dyed  in  dif 
ferent  colours,  and  the  skins  of  other  animals  dressed 
with  the  hair  on ;  cured  and  dressed  as  perfectly, 
the  Spaniards  said,  as  could  have  been  done  in 
Germany  or  Muscovy.  Around  this  great  room 
were  eight  small  rooms,  all  filled  with  different 
weapons  —  pikes,  clubs,  tomahawks,  bows  and  ar 
rows  of  all  varieties,  and  of  the  most  exquisite 
workmanship ;  some  with  three-pronged  heads  like 
harpoons ;  some  two-pronged ;  some  with  chisel- 
edges,  like  daggers ;  some  shaped  like  thorns.  In 
the  last  room  were  mats  of  cane,  so  finely  woven 
that  there  were  few  among  the  Spanish  crossbowmen 
who  could  have  put  a  bolt  through  them. 

The  revenue  officers  again  proposed  to  take  out 


142  Hernando  de  Soto 

from  the  spoils  the  royal  fifth  that  belonged  to  his 
Imperial  Majesty,  and  to  carry  it  away  with  them. 
But  the  Adelantado,  as  before,  said  that  this  would 
only  embarrass  the  movements  of  the  army  with  ex 
cessive  luggage;  that  even  now  it  could  not  carry  its 
necessary  munitions  and  provisions ;  that  all  must 
be  left  just  as  it  was.  They  were  not  dividing  the 
land  now,  he  reminded  them,  only  discovering  it ; 
when  they  did  divide  it,  then  he  who  should  be  in 
possession  could  pay  the  royal  fifth.  Upon  this, 
the  officers  took  nothing  of  all  that  they  saw,  but 
they  returned  to  the  village  with  enough  and  more 
than  enough  in  their  minds  to  stir  their  imaginations 
about  the  unexplored  country  before  them. 

Greedily  questioning  the  Indians  if  they  knew  of 
any  still  greater  land  or  chief  farther  inland,  these 
answered,  as  they  had  learned  now  to  answer  the 
Spaniards,  to  get  rid  of  them,  that  further  on  was  a 
greater  and  more  powerful  chief  ruling  over  a  richer 
country  called  Chiaha.  De  Soto  made  up  his  mind 
at  once  to  march  thither.  The  men  and  some  of  the 
officers  protested  that  there  was  no  need  to  travel 
any  farther,  for  where  they  were  the  soil  was  rich, 
the  climate  temperate,  and  treasure  abundant ;  but 
it  seemed  as  if  the  Adelantado,  like  the  other  Peru 
vian  conquerors,  could  be  content  with  nothing  less 
than  the  wealth  of  Atahualpa.  And,  says  one  of 
his  soldiers,  the  Adelantado  was  a  stern  man  and 
of  few  words,  and  although  he  was  glad  to  sift  and 
know  the  opinion  of  all,  yet,  after  he  had  delivered 
his  own,  he  would  not  be  opposed,  and  always  did 


Cofachiqui  143 

what  he  himself  liked,  and  all  others  were  forced  to 
bow  to  his  will ;  and  although  it  seemed  an  error 
to  quit  that  country,  yet  there  were  none  who  could 
say  anything  against  him  after  they  knew  his  resolu 
tion.  Whenever  any  one  would  speak  of  wanting 
to  settle  where  they  were,  he  would  answer  with  the 
argument  that  there  was  not  food  enough  in  that 
country  to  last  the  army  a  month,  and  that  at  any 
rate  they  must  return  to  the  port  of  Apalache,  where 
Maldonado  was  to  bring  the  ships.  If  no  richer 
country  could  be  found,  he  said,  they  could  return 
to  Cofachiqui  whenever  they  chose.  In  the  mean 
time  the  Indians  would  be  planting  their  fields  and 
laying  up  stores  of  provisions  for  them.  And  so 
he  ordered  the  march  and  prepared  for  it. 


CHAPTER   XII 

XUALA,    GUAXULE,    CHIAHA,    COOSA 

WHEN  the  army  left  Cofachiqui,  the  prin 
cess  was  taken  along,  carefully  guarded ; 
and,  according  to  the  account  of  one  of 
the  Portuguese  cavaliers,  she  was  not  treated  with 
the  usage  she  deserved  after  her  kindness  to  the 
Spaniards.  She  was  carried  in  a  litter  or  marched 
on  foot,  followed  by  her  women  attendants  ;  and 
now>  as  always,  a  lady,  it  was  she  who,  throughout 
her  province,  provided  the  supplies  and  gave  the 
commands  that  secured  pack  bearers  from  one  village 
to  another,  her  messengers  running  ahead  of  the 
army  to  bear  her  orders.  She  also  sent  warriors  into 
the  next  province  to  prepare  the  chief  for  the  com 
ing  of  the  Spaniards,  and  to  bespeak  a  peaceful  re 
ception  for  them.  All  along  the  march  the  Spaniards 
found  numbers  of  captives  taken  from  other  prov 
inces,  working  as  slaves,  with  one  foot  maimed  to 
prevent  their  escape,  a  savage  substitute  for  chains. 
The  last  stopping  place  in  the  princess's  domin 
ion  was  the  village  Xuala,1  built  on  the  slope  of  a 

1  Supposed  to  be  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Qualatche  at  the  source  of  the 
Catahootche  River. 

144 


Xuala,  Guaxule,  Chiaha,  Coosa  145 

hill  near  the  bank  of  a  furious  little  river.  Plenty 
of  food  and  hospitable  treatment  tempted  the  Span 
iards  into  a  halt  of  fifteen  days  to  rest  their  horses. 
When  they  started  again,  the  princess  instead  of 
being  dismissed  was  still  carried  along  with  them 
towards  the  next  province.  But  on  the  first  day's 
march  beyond  her  country,  she  and  her  women,  as 
they  were  walking  along,  quietly  passed  out  of  view 
in  the  woods  ;  and  when  the  guard  sought  for  them, 
they  could  not  be  found,  nor  the  casket  of  pearls 
they  carried  with  them.  The  Adelantado  intended 
to  take  it  from  them,  and  only  out  of  courtesy  had 
let  the  princess  keep  it  so  far. 

The  good  treatment  received  in  the  next  village, 
Guaxule,  passed  into  a  luck-word  with  the  Spanish 
soldiers,  who  ever  afterwards  at  a  good  throw  of  the 
dice  would  call  out,  "  The  house  of  Guaxule ! " 
The  chief  answered  the  messages  of  the  princess  of 
Cofachiqui  by  coming  out  with  a  retinue  of  about 
five  hundred  warriors  to  receive  the  strangers  and 
conduct  them  to  his  village,  where  everything  had 
been  prepared  for  their  entertainment.  The  village 
was  prettily  spread  out  among  a  number  of  small 
streams  that  ran  down  from  the  hills  in  the  distance. 
The  chief's  house  was  given  up  to  the  Adelantado, 
and  the  rest  of  the  village  was  turned  over  to  him 
for  the  use  of  the  army.  The  Indians  in  this  part 
of  the  country  had  quantities  of  fat  dogs,  and  seeing 
how  much  the  Spaniards  enjoyed  the  flesh  of  them, 
they  gave  freely  and  constantly  of  them.  The 
Indians  themselves  seemed  to  eat  no  flesh  but  game. 


146  Hernando  de  Soto 

The  Spaniards,  deprived  as  they  were  of  animal  food, 
would  so  pine  for  it,  that  the  sick  soldiers  would 
moan,  "  If  I  had  but  one  piece  of  meat,  I  should 
get  well."  As  the  Indians  here  said  that  just  ahead 
lay  a  great  territory,  a  far  larger  and  richer  one  than 
Guaxule,  De  Soto  decided  to  push  still  on  and  not 
turn  back  until  he  saw  it,  although  he  calculated  that 
he  was  nearly  two  hundred  and  seventy  leagues  from 
Apalache,  his  point  of  return.  The  Spaniards  always 
remembered  the  little  village  of  Canasauga  ]  in  this 
region  as  the  place  where  a  file  of  twenty  Indians 
met  them  bearing  on  their  heads  baskets  of  fresh 
mulberries. 

The  little  streams  that  rippled  past  Guaxule, 
all  joining  together,  formed  a  great  river,  which 
as  the  army  followed  it  broadened  and  shallowed, 
and  at  last  separated  into  two  branches,  flowing 
around  an  island  which  held  a  village,  Chiaha  — 
a  pretty  village,  with  a  friendly  chief  and  people 
eagerly  curious  to  see  the  strangers,  and  simple 
and  unaffected  in  showing  it.  They  wished,  they 
said,  that  they  could  open  all  the  doors  in  their 
breasts  so  that  the  Spaniards  might  look  with  their 
own  eyes  into  their  hearts.  The  weather  was  hot ; 
and  the  army  instead  of  quartering  in  the  village 
camped  in  a  beautiful  meadow  outside,  where  the 
men  spread  out  at  their  ease,  each  one  selecting 
his  own  tree  for  a  tent.  The  horses  were  also 
given  their  ease  in  a  large  field  about  a  quarter 

1  A  small  tributary  of  the  Coosa;  the  Connesauga  perpetuates  the  name 
of  the  village  in  modern  geography. 


Xuala,  Guaxule,  Chiaha,  Coosa  147 

of  a  league  away,  and  they  enjoyed  it,  for  proven 
der  had  been  short  and  marches  long  ever  since 
leaving  Cofachiqui. 

With  their  camp  so  scattered  and  out  of  order, 
the  Spaniards  would  have  been  in  evil  case  to  defend 
themselves,  had  the  Indians  set  upon  them,  but  the 
war  and  strife  of  the  Apalachians  had  been  left  com 
pletely  behind  with  their  country,  so  that  the  army 
felt  as  secure  in  the  enjoyment  of  their  good  living 
as  if  in  camp  at  home.  In  the  cabins  of  the  Indians 
the  Spaniards  found,  to  their  delight,  gourds  of  bears' 
fat,  which  melted  in  the  mouth  like  butter,  and 
tasted  as  good ;  and  walnut  oil  as  clear  as  olive  and 
as  savoury ;  and  pots  of  wild  honey,  which  they 
had  never  seen  before  in  the  country.  But  the 
Indians,  plied  as  usual  with  questions  about  the 
country,  gave  what  was  still  better  than  jars  of  but 
ter  and  pots  of  honey,  for  they  said  that  in  a  prov 
ince  called  Chisca  there  were  many  and  rich  mines 
of  the  yellow  metal  the  Spaniards  sought,  and  the 
chief  even  offered  guides  to  lead  safely  there  and 
back  any  Spaniards  who  would  go  and  verify  the 
story.  Two  soldiers  at  once  volunteered  and  set 
out. 

While  they  were  away,  the  chief  gave  to  De  Soto 
a  beautiful  string  of  pearls,  a  princely  gift,  if  the 
jewels  had  not  been  discoloured  by  fire,  for  the  string 
was  two  yards  long,  and  the  pearls  as  large  as  hazel- 
nuts.  The  Adelantado  in  return  presented  the 
chief  with  pieces  of  velvet  and  different  coloured 
cloths,  which  he  received  with  great  expressions 


148  Hernando  de  Soto 

of  gratitude.  Being  asked  about  pearls,  he  said 
that  they  were  fished  in  his  country,  and  that  there 
were  great  quantities  of  them  in  the  temple  of 
his  village  and  in  the  other  villages  of  his  prov 
ince,  and  if  De  Soto  wished,  he  could  take  all  he 
wanted.  The  Adelantado  then  asking  how  the 
pearls  were  obtained  from  the  shells,  the  chief 
promised  he  should  see  the  next  morning  how  it 
was  done.  That  night  forty  canoes  were  despatched 
to  the  fishing-place,  and  in  the  early  dawn  great 
heaps  of  wood  were  piled  on  the  river  bank  and  set 
on  fire.  By  the  time  the  canoes  returned,  the  fire 
had  burned  to  coals,  which  were  raked  out,  and  as  the 
shells  were  taken  from  the  canoes  they  were  thrown 
upon  them.  As  the  shells  opened,  Indians  would 
seize  them  and  thrust  their  fingers  between  them, 
and  pick  out  the  pearls.  The  first  ones  opened 
yielded  ten  or  twelve  pearls  as  large  as  peas. 

A  curious  accident  happened  here  one  day.  A 
cavalier,  lance  in  hand,  was  walking  in  a  meadow 
near  the  river,  when  he  saw  some  small  animal, 
a  coon  or  an  opossum,  running  at  a  little  distance 
from  him.  He  threw  his  lance  at  it  eagerly,  for  in 
the  great  lack  of  animal  food  the  Spaniards  were 
always  wild  for  any  game.  The  lance  shooting 
past  and  ahead  of  the  animal  whizzed  over  the  bank 
of  the  river.  Here  it  chanced  another  Spaniard  was 
sitting  fishing.  The  lance  drove  through  his  head, 
going  in  at  one  temple  and  coming  out  at  the  other. 
The  cavalier  following  to  look  for  his  lance  found 
the  man  there  dead,  holding  his  fishing-rod  in  his 


Xuala,  Guaxule,  Chiaha,  Coosa  149 

hands,  the  lance  sticking  in  his  head.  What  most 
grieved  the  cavalier  was  that  the  victim  of  his  cruel 
throw  was  the  one  white-haired  soldier  in  the 
army,  "  father,"  as  his  comrades  all  affectionately 
called  him,  and  as  a  father  in  truth,  respected  by 
them  all. 

The  two  explorers  returned  from  their  gold 
mines,  which  turned  out  to  be  the  usual  ignis 
fatuus  —  copper.  As  it  was  close  on  to  August, 
and  the  men  were  rested,  and  the  horses  fat  once 
more,  orders  were  given  to  prepare  to  march.  The 
kindly  hospitality  of  the  people,  misunderstood,  as 
hospitality  often  is,  by  the  recipients  of  it,  was  now 
to  be  presumed  upon.  De  Soto,  incited  by  his 
men,  demanded  thirty  Indian  women-slaves  to  ac 
company  the  army.  But  that  night  the  Indians  with 
their  women  and  children  fled  from  the  village,  the 
chief  pretending  that  it  was  against  his  will  and  com 
mand.  A  troop  of  Spaniards  was  sent  in  pursuit, 
ravaging  the  cornfields  on  the  way ;  but  the  Indians 
had  taken  refuge  on  an  island  where  neither  foot  nor 
horse  could  get  to  them ;  and  so  the  army  marched 
away  without  their  slaves. 

At  the  other  end  of  the  island,  on  the  point  where 
the  two  branches  of  the  river  came  together  again, 
was  another  village  named  Acoste.  Warned,  per 
haps,  by  runners  from  Chiaha,  they  gave  the  Span 
iards  quite  a  different  reception.  The  chief  made 
no  pretensions  whatever  of  friendship,  and  although 
he  came  outside  of  his  village  with  his  warriors  to 
meet  the  army,  it  was  with  bows  in  their  hands,  and 


150  Hernando  de  Soto 

not  to  offer  hospitality  and  courtesy,  but  fight.  Not 
for  an  instant  would  they  lay  their  enmity  or  their 
weapons  aside,  and  the  night  was  passed  by  both 
camps  watching  in  arms,  as  if  in  front  of  a  declared 
enemy.  The  next  day  the  Spaniards  crossed  the 
river  in  the  boats  and  rafts  found  moored  at  the 
bank,  and  pursued  their  way  from  Acoste,  thanking 
God  for  delivering  them  out  of  so  tight  a  peril  as 
that  island-village  might  have  proved,  had  peace 
once  been  broken. 

The  next  province  belonged  to  a  chief  called 
Coosa.  Over  one  hundred  leagues  the  Spaniards 
journeyed  through  it,  finding  everywhere  a  fertile 
soil,  and  a  thick  population,  passing  ten  or  twelve 
villages  every  day,  without  counting  those  they  saw 
at  a  distance  to  the  right  and  left,  and  all  showing 
contentment  and  prosperity.  The  Indians  came  out 
to  receive  the  strangers  with  great  demonstrations 
of  friendship,  lodging  them  in  their  houses  at  night, 
giving  them  with  the  utmost  generosity  all  the  food 
they  had,  and  accompanying  them  along  the  road  as 
far  as  the  next  village,  and  turning  back  only  when 
they  saw  them  well  received.  Sometimes  the  army 
slept  in  the  villages,  sometimes  in  the  open  fields, 
wherever  the  day's  march  happened  to  end.  The 
chief's  village  lay  at  the  other  end  of  the  province. 
He  sent  messengers  almost  every  day,  welcoming 
the  Spanish  general  to  his  territory,  and  begging 
him  and  his  men,  the  greatest  compliment  that  hos 
pitality  had  yet  paid  the  Spaniards,  to  journey  as 
slowly  as  possible  through  it,  and  to  enjoy  them- 


Xuala,  Guaxule,  Chiaha,  Coosa  151 

selves  and  feast  themselves  as  much  as  they  would 
in  it. 

At  the  end  of  twenty  three  or  four  days,  as  they 
neared  his  village,  they  saw  a  brave  assemblage  ad 
vancing  to  meet  them,  more  than  a  thousand  war 
riors  in  war  plumes,  with  bows  and  quivers.  All 
were  tall  and  well  made  men,  and  as  they  advanced 
in  a  solid  body  of  twenty  front,  the  Spaniards  could 
not  but  exclaim  at  the  sight. 

Coosa,  the  chief,  a  good  looking  young  warrior, 
about  twenty-six  years  of  age,  was  borne  in  a  litter 
upon  the  shoulders  of  his  noblest  warriors.  He 
was  seated  upon  cushions,  and  wore  a  magnificent 
diadem  of  feathers  and  a  mantle  of  marten  skins 
that  fell  in  royal  folds  about  him.  Around  the  litter 
walked  musicians  playing  upon  pipes  and  chanting. 
Coosa  made  the  customary  speech  of  welcome  with 
the  air  and  manner  suitable  to  the  princely  osten 
tation  of  his  reception  of  the  strangers  ;  and  his  con 
versation  and  answers  to  the  questions  put  to  him 
by  the  Spaniards  did  not  belie  the  sense  and  judg 
ment  betokened  by  the  expression  of  his  face.  On 
the  whole,  the  Spaniards  thought  he  was  the  equal 
in  appearance  of  any  prince  brought  up  in  a  Euro 
pean  court.  His  village,  built  on  the  bank  of  the 
river  (supposed  to  be  the  Coosa  of  to-day),  looked 
what  it  was,  the  capital  of  a  populous  and  prosperous 
province.  It  contained  five  hundred  houses,  all  large 
and  well  built.  The  three  houses  that  formed  the 
chief's  personal  establishment  were  given  over  to  the 
Adelantado  and  his  officers ;  one-half  of  the  village 


152  Hernando  de  Soto 

had  been  evacuated  for  the   soldiers,  and   they  all 
were  easily  quartered  in  it. 

During  the  ten  or  twelve  days'  halt  here,  the 
entertainment  was  of  the  kind  usually  reserved  in 
the  Old  World  for  very  dear  brothers ;  for  the 
chronicler  says  that  none  but  so  tender  a  word 
could  express  the  geniality  of  the  people  to  the 
Spaniards.  That  their  good-will  and  esteem  were 
sincere  could  not  be  doubted  ;  for  one  day  after  din 
ner,  during  which  Coosa  and  the  Adelantado  had 
talked  much  about  matters  pertaining  to  the  dis 
covery  and  conquest  of  the  land,  and  the  eventual 
settlement  of  it  by  the  Spaniards,  the  young  chief 
rose  to  his  feet,  and  making  a  low  bow  to  the  Ade 
lantado,  and  running  his  eyes  over  the  cavaliers 
seated  to  the  right  and  left  of  him,  to  include  them 
all  in  what  he  had  to  say,  made  a  speech.  After 
praising  the  Spaniards  and  the  fertility  and  resources 
of  his  land,  he  proposed  to  De  Soto  to  make  his 
settlement  there,  or  at  least  to  make  a  trial  of 
the  province  by  wintering  in  it.  And  again  the 
Spaniards  thought  that  the  Adelantado  could  not 
fare  better  by  going  farther ;  but  he,  as  before,  reit 
erated  that  under  no  circumstances  would  he  settle 
in  the  interior  of  the  country  before  first  founding 
a  port  to  receive  his  ships  from  Spain  with  the 
requisites  of  colonization.  As  it  was  getting  time 
now,  according  to  the  plan  laid  down,  to  return  to 
the  sea  to  meet  Maldonado  and  the  brigantines 
which  were  expected  soon,  when  the  army  started, 
he  headed  it  for  the  south.  In  fact,  ever  since 


Xuala,  Guaxule,  Chiaha,  Coosa  153 

leaving  Xuala,  he  had  been  curving  the  route 
towards  the  coast,  to  be  within  easy  reach  of  it  by 
winter.  Coosa  accompanied  the  army  to  his  boun 
daries,  or  was  carried  along  as  hostage,  according  to 
the  policy  of  the  Adelantado. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

TUSCALOOSA 

TALISE1  was  the  last  village  under  Coosa's 
rule,  and,  as  a  frontier  post  should  be,  it  was 
strongly  fortified  and  well  situated,  the  river 
almost  encircling  it  in  a  bend  and  making  a  penin 
sula  of  it.  But  the  village  was  not  entirely  subser 
vient  and  obedient  to  Coosa  ;  the  double  dealings  of 
the  neighbouring  chief,  Tuscaloosa,2  a  fierce,  arro 
gant  warrior,  too  astute  and  subtle  to  come  to  open 
warfare  with  Coosa,  kept  it  in  a  disaffected,  rebel 
lious  attitude  towards  its  rightful  chief.  The  Spanish 
forces  were  not  more  than  quartered  in  Talise 
before  the  son  of  Tuscaloosa  arrived  with  a  fine 
following  of  warriors,  bearing  greetings  of  peace  and 
offers  of  service  from  his  father.  He  was  a  youth 
of  only  eighteen,  but  of  such  fine  stature  that  he 
stood  breast  high  above  the  tallest  man  in  the  Span 
ish  army ;  the  tallest  Indian  he  was  yet  seen  in  the 
country.  Having  delivered  his  message,  and  hear 
ing  that  the  Spaniards  were  journeying  towards  his 
father's  territory,  he  said,  with  frank  promptness  : 

1  If  Tallahassee  be  not  merely  a  verbal  echo  of  Talise,  the  latter  exists  to-day 
in  the  town  lying  in  the  elbow  of  the  Tallapoosa  River. 

2  Tuscaloosa  is  Choctaw  for  Black  Warrior. 

154 


Tuscaloosa  155 

"To  go  there,  although  the  distance  Is  short,  you 
have  two  roads  ;  I  beg  that  you  will  command  two 
soldiers  to  go  by  one  and  return  by  the  other,  so 
that  they  can  see  which  would  be  the  better  for  your 
army  to  take.  I  will  give  guides  who  will  conduct 
them  there  and  back  in  safety."  His  advice  was 
taken ;  the  guides  were  sent,  and  upon  their  report 
the  Adelantado  selected  his  road,  and  the  son  of 
Tuscaloosa  was  dismissed  with  presents. 

Coosa  here  disappears  from  the  narrative,  "  muy 
gentil  hombre "  to  the  last,  as  the  Spaniards  said. 
It  was  discovered  that  a  soldier  had  remained  behind, 
concealed  among  the  Indians  in  his  village.  Every 
effort  was  made  to  induce  the  deserter  to  return  to 
the  army,  but  all  in  vain  ;  for  most  indecently,  says 
the  chronicler,  he  sent  the  Adelantado's  messenger 
back  with  the  reply,  that  he  preferred  living  with  the 
Indians  to  going  on  with  the  Spaniards.  The  Ade 
lantado  made  a  demand  upon  Coosa  to  cause  his 
Indians  to  fetch  the  man  by  force.  The  young 
chief,  however,  with  the  greatest  courtesy  and  polish, 
replied  that  since  not  all  the  Spaniards,  as  he  de 
sired,  had  chosen  to  remain  in  his  country,  he  was 
much  rejoiced  that  even  one  should  by  his  own 
choice  have  done  so,  and  that  the  general  must  par 
don  him  if  he  did  not  use  force  against  the  man, 
whom  he  on  the  contrary  greatly  esteemed.  The 
Adelantado  then  let  the  matter  drop. 

Tuscaloosa  did  not  wait  in  his  own  village  for 
the  Spaniards,  but  came  forward  to  one  of  the 
smaller  ones  to  receive  them  on  the  road.  Early 


156  Hernando  de  Soto 

in  the  morning  of  the  third  day  after  leaving  Talise, 
the  army  came  in  sight  of  him,  posed  in  majestic 
state,  in  a  beautiful  plain,  a  village  rising  on  a  hill 
at  his  back.  He  sat  on  his  royal  chair,  a  seat  hol 
lowed  out  of  solid  wood ;  at  his  feet  were  spread 
beautiful  mats ;  above  his  head  was  held  a  yellow 
banner  striped  with  three  bars  of  blue ;  it  was  of 
buckskin,  but  it  looked  like  the  richest  silk ;  and  it 
was  the  first  banner  seen  by  the  Spaniards  in  Florida, 
and  the  one  Tuscaloosa  always  carried  with  him 
wherever  he  went.  Over  a  hundred  warriors  in  war 
plumes  and  mantles  stood  round  him.  Like  his  son, 
Tuscaloosa  rose  above  the  heads  of  the  tallest  about 
him  by  a  foot  and  a  half.  To  the  Spaniards  he  was 
a  giant.  His  face  was  handsome,  but  ominous  of  the 
stern  ferocity  and  savageness  of  soul  he  afterwards 
showed.  His  eyes  were  as  large  as  those  of  an  ox ; 
his  shoulders  became  his  height,  but  the  girth  of 
his  waist  was  not  more  than  two-thirds  of  a  Spaniard's 
sword  belt ;  arms  and  legs  were  straight  and  well 
joined  to  his  body ;  his  shins  were  as  long  as  most 
men's  legs.  In  fine  he  was,  say  the  Spaniards,  the 
perfection  of  colossal  form  and  feature.  He  seemed 
barely  forty  years  of  age. 

The  cavaliers  and  captains  of  the  army  riding  in 
advance  of  the  general  gained  no  sign  of  recogni 
tion  from  him,  either  by  movement  or  expression  ; 
it  was  as  if  he,  like  the  Inca,  Atahualpa,  did  not  see 
them,  or  they  were  not  passing  before  him.  Luis 
de  Moscoso  came  up  and  spoke  to  him,  and  he  and 
his  escort  coursed  their  horses  to  and  fro,  prancing 


Tuscaloosa  157 

them  up  to  where  he  sat.  But  Tuscaloosa  would 
only  lift  up  his  eyes  to  glance  at  them  with  disdain. 
He  made  no  offer  at  all  to  rise  when  the  Adelan- 
tado  approached.  So  he,  dismounting,  went  up  to 
him ;  they  then  embraced  and  the  two  remained  to 
gether  while  the  army  marched  up  into  the  village. 
Then,  hand  in  hand,  they  followed  until  they  reached 
the  building  prepared  for  De  Soto ;  there  Tuscaloosa 
left  him  and  strode  away.  The  Spaniards  remained 
in  the  village  two  days,  and  when  they  set  out 
again,  the  chief  and  his  retinue  accompanied  them, 
he  resplendent  and  magnificent  in  a  gorgeous  gold 
embroidered  scarlet  coat  and  cap  presented  by  the 
Adelantado.  The  chiefs  on  the  march  always  rode 
on  horseback,  but  when  a  horse  was  sought  for  Tus 
caloosa,  among  all  the  chargers  in  the  army  there 
was  not  one  that  could  bear  such  a  weight  as  his, 
and  the  Adelantado  would  not  hear  of  putting  upon 
him  the  affront,  in  the  sight  of  all  Spaniards,  of 
making  him  ride  a  mule.  Finally,  a  hack  belong 
ing  to  the  Adelantado,  which  for  its  strength  had 
been  used  as  a  pack-horse,  was  impressed  for  the 
service ;  but  the  chief  was  so  tall  that  when  seated 
in  the  saddle  his  feet  nearly  touched  the  ground. 

The  march  proceeded  in  a  pleasant  and  leisurely 
fashion,  each  day  advancing  three  to  four  leagues, 
until  the  principal  village  of  the  province,  the  one 
from  'which  both  chief  and  province  took  their 
name,  was  reached.  It  was  a  strong  place,  built  on 
the  favourite  site  of  the  Indians,  a  neck  of  land, 
almost  surrounded  by  a  river,  which  was  the  same 


158  Hernando  de  Soto 

stream  that  flowed  by  Talise,  but  swelled  to  great 
volume,  depth,  and  current.  A  day  was  given  to 
crossing  the  army  over  it,  and  camp  was  pitched  in 
a  beautiful  valley  just  beyond  its  bank.  Here  two 
soldiers  were  found  to  be  missing,  and  it  was  sus 
pected  that  the  Indians,  finding  them  astray  from 
the  camp,  had  killed  them.  But  when  the  Indians 
were  asked  about  them,  their  insolent  answer  was : 
Had  they  taken  charge  of  the  Spaniards  ?  Or  what 
obligation  were  they  under  to  account  for  them  ? 
The  Adelantado  did  not  push  his  investigations 
with  too  much  insistence,  for  fear  of  affronting  the 
chief  and  provoking  something  worse ;  but  he 
stored  the  deed  in  his  memory,  and  only  deferred 
the  moment  of  retribution  until  he  could  be  sure 
of  it. 

The  next  village  on  the  road  through  Tuscaloosa's 
territory  was  Mauvila.1  All  along  the  march,  the 
chief  had  been  sending  messengers  to  it,  to  warn 
his  people,  as  he  explained  to  the  Spaniards,  to  col 
lect  provisions  and  pack  bearers  for  the  army.  The 
army  halted  within  five  miles  of  it,  at  the  close  of  a 
beautiful  June  day.  Luis  de  Moscoso  was  of  the 
opinion  that  it  would  be  wiser  in  the  hot  weather 
to  keep  on  camping  outside  the  village  in  the  field, 
as  they  had  been  doing ;  but  the  Adelantado,  weary 
it  is  said  of  sleeping  in  the  open,  decided  to  camp 

1  The  historian  of  Alabama,  Pickett,  says  that  he  is  satisfied  that  the  site  of 
Mauvila  was  upon  the  north  bank  of  the  Alabama  at  a  place  now  called  Choctaw 
Bluff,  in  Clarke  County,  about  twenty-five  miles  above  the  confluence  of  the  Alabama 
and  the  Tombigbee.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  it  gave  its  name  to  the  city  and  bay 
of  Mobile. 


Tuscaloosa 

outside  only  that  night,  and   to  lodge   in   the  vil 
lage  during  his  stay  there. 

The  next  morning  at  daylight  he  sent  two  sol 
diers  ahead,  ordering  them  to  spy  round  and  find 
out  what  sort  of  place  Mauvila  was,  and  if  it  were 
true,  as  was  famed  all  over  the  country,  that  Tusca 
loosa  had  gathered  great  numbers  of  his  people 
there  for  festivities  and  rejoicings  over  the  arrival  of 
the  Spanish  general  and  his  army.  The  soldiers 
were  to  wait  in  the  village  for  De  Soto,  who  would 
ride  immediately  after  them.  So,  as  soon  as  they 
were  well  on  their  way,  he,  with  a  hundred  cavaliers 
and  footmen,  followed  by  their  slaves  and  the  pack 
bearers  of  the  army  with  the  luggage,  set  out  with 
Tuscaloosa  to  the  village.  The  master  of  camp 
was  ordered  to  follow  promptly  with  the  rest  of  the 
army.  Riding  quickly  over  the  five  miles,  the 
party  reached  the  village  about  eight  o'clock.  It 
was  seated  in  a  beautiful  meadow,  and  surrounded 
and  concealed  by  a  wall — a  great  palisade  three  pike 
lengths  high,  made  of  well-grown  trees,  crossed  by 
timbers  almost  as  large,  fastened  together  by  vines 
and  plastered  with  a  thick  mortar  of  mud  and  straw, 
which  filled  all  the  interstices  and  crevices,  and 
formed  a  surface  as  smooth  and  unbroken  as  if 
made  with  the  trowel  of  a  bricklayer.  About  the 
height  of  a  man,  loopholes  for  arrows  had  been 
pierced ;  and  about  every  fifty  paces  were  towers 
capable  of  holding  seven  or  eight  men.  Numbers 
of  trunks  of  trees,  driven  into  the  ground  for  posts, 
had  taken  root  and  had  branched  out  all  the  length 


160  Hernando  de  Soto 

of  the  walls,  crowning  it  with  green  and  giving  great 
beauty  to  it.  There  were  but  two  gates,  one  open 
ing  to  the  east  and  one  to  the  west. 

As  the  Adelantado  and  Tuscaloosa  neared,  bands 
of  warriors  came  forward,  dancing  and  singing ;  and 
after  the  warriors  came  bands  of  beautiful  Indian 
girls,  likewise  dancing  and  singing.  They  led  the 
way  into  the  village  and  through  the  one  broad 
street  that  ran  across  from  gate  to  gate.  The  Span 
iards  looked  round  in  astonishment ;  the  houses 
were  few  in  number,  but  they  were  as  large  as  bar 
racks,  the  smallest  capable  of  holding  five  hundred 
men ;  the  largest,  a  thousand  or  fifteen  hundred. 

The  little  procession  came  to  a  stop  in  the  public 
square.  The  Spanish  scouts  were  seen  waiting  to 
one  side.  De  Soto  and  Tuscaloosa  dismounted, 
and  the  chief,  calling  Juan  Ortiz,  said,  pointing 
with  his  finger:  "In  that  large  house  will  lodge 
the  general  with  his  cavaliers,  and  the  warriors 
he  wishes  to  keep  with  him ;  in  that  other  one 
near  it,  his  attendants  and  servants ;  for  the  rest  of 
the  army,  an  arrow's  flight  outside  of  the  walls  my 
people  have  built  huts  of  green  branches  where 
they  can  lodge,  because  the  village  is  small  and  will 
not  hold  us  all."  The  Adelantado  replied  that  his 
master  of  camp  would  fix  the  quarters  as  the  chief 
desired.  Tuscaloosa  then  said  something  about 
remaining  in  the  village  and  not  being  troubled 
with  travelling  any  more  with  the  army,  and  receiv 
ing  no  reply  from  De  Soto,  he  turned  and  strode 
away  to  his  house,  the  largest  one  around  the  square, 


Tuscaloosa  161 

and  entered  it.  The  other  cavaliers  dismounted  and 
sent  their  horses  outside  the  village  to  the  place 
assigned  for  the  camp. 

Gonzalo  Quadrado  Xaramillo,  one  of  the  scouts, 
now  came  up  to  the  Adelantado.  "  My  lord,"  he 
said,  "  I  have  been  carefully  examining  this  village, 
and  what  I  have  seen  and  observed  gives  me  no  se 
curity  whatever  of  the  friendship  of  this  chief  and  his 
people.  On  the  contrary,  I  have  an  evil  suspicion 
that  they  have  planned  some  treason  against  us ;  in 
those  few  houses  you  see  there,  are  more  than  ten 
thousand  warriors,  picked  men,  for  there  is  not  an 
old  one  among  them  nor  a  menial ;  and  they  are 
armed  to  the  teeth  ;  and  those  other  houses  are  filled 
with  weapons ;  they  are  magazines  of  arms.  And 
besides,  although  there  are  a  great  many  women  in 
the  village,  all  are  girls ;  not  one  among  them  has  a 
child,  nor  is  there  a  child  to  be  found  in  the  whole 
place;  thus  they  are  all  free  and  without  impedi 
ment.  For  an  arquebuse-shot,  all  around  the  vil 
lage,  the  ground,  as  you  may  have  seen,  has  been 
cleaned  and  cleared  so  carefully  and  particularly 
that  even  the  roots  of  the  grass  have  been  pulled 
up  by  hand,  which  seems  to  me  to  mean  that  they 
are  going  to  give  us  battle,  and  nothing  in  the 
world  will  prevent  them."  Warning  was  passed 
from  mouth  to  mouth  to  the  Spaniards  standing 
round  to  be  on  their  guard ;  and  Xaramillo  was 
ordered  to  see  Luis  de  Moscoso  as  soon  as  he 
arrived  and  post  him  as  to  how  matters  stood,  so 
that  he  could  make  his  arrangements  accordingly. 


1 62  Hernando  de  Soto 

In  the  meantime,  a  great  council  of  war  in  the 
building  that  Tuscaloosa  had  entered  was  deciding 
upon  the  last  arrangements  for  the  massacre  of  the 
Spaniards.  For  all  along  Tuscaloosa  had  been 
determined  to  slay  them  in  the  village  of  Mauvila, 
which  he  had  selected  for  the  purpose.  For  this 
he  had  sent  his  son  to  welcome  them,  and  spy  out 
what  their  wishes  were,  and  their  manner  of  weap 
ons  ;  and  for  this,  he  had  himself  gone  to  meet 
them,  to  conduct  them  thither,  where  his  messen 
gers  had  collected  that  great  concourse  of  warriors, 
not  only  from  his  own  people  and  subjects,  but 
from  among  all  his  neighbours  and  allies,  inviting 
them  to  join  in  the  triumph  and  glory  of  put 
ting  an  end  to  all  the  Christians  at  once,  promising 
them  as  a  reward  Spaniards  for  slaves,  and  horses 
to  ride,  and  plunder  of  scarlet  coats  and  caps. 
Looking  round  him,  Tuscaloosa  saw  the  bravest 
and  most  noted  warriors  of  all  that  region.  He 
told  them  to  decide  promptly  what  they  were  going 
to  do :  whether  they  would  at  once  kill  the  Span 
iards  who  were  at  present  in  the  square,  and  after 
them  the  others  as  they  arrived,  or  whether  they 
would  wait  until  all  came  up.  The  warriors  fell 
into  a  division  ;  some  advised  not  to  wait  for  the 
rest  of  the  Spaniards  to  come  up  and  increase  the 
difficulty  of  the  enterprise,  but  to  kill  those  that 
they  already  had  under  their  hands,  and  afterwards 
the  others  as  they  arrived.  Others,  the  braver  ones, 
said  that  as  they,  the  Indians,  had  the  advantage  of 
the  Spaniards  in  valour,  agility,  and  fleetness,  as  well 


Tuscaloosa  163 

as  in  numbers,  it  showed  fear  to  fall  upon  the  Span 
iards  in  small  divisions.  Let  them  all  come  together 
and  then  at  one  blow  kill  them  all,  for  that  would 
be  greater  triumph  and  honour,  and  a  deed  more 
fitting  the  fame  of  Tuscaloosa.  Those  of  the 
former  opinion  contended  that  the  Spaniards  to 
gether  would  then  be  able  to  make  a  better  defence, 
and  kill  more  Indians ;  that  what  the  warriors 
wanted  was  to  kill  all  the  Spaniards,  and  the  best 
and  surest  way  was  the  one  that  was  safest  to  them 
selves.  This  last  counsel  prevailed,  although  the 
other  suited  Tuscaloosa's  pride  and  daring  better. 
But  he  was  so  impatient  to  begin  the  killing  that 
every  moment  of  delay,  however  short,  seemed  to 
him  long.  And  so  the  warriors  agreed  to  seize  the 
first  excuse  that  offered ;  and  if  no  excuse  offered, 
they  would  make  one.  With  enemies,  they  said, 
it  was  not  necessary  to  seek  reasons  for  killing  them. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE    BATTLE    OF    MAUVILA 

WHILE  this  was  going  on,  the  servants  of 
the  governor,  in  the  lodgings  appointed 
him,  had  gone  busily  to  work  preparing 
breakfast.  When  it  was  ready,  the  Adelantado  was 
asked  to  come  to  table.  He  sent  Juan  Ortiz  to 
summon  Tuscaloosa,  to  eat  with  him.  Juan  Ortiz 
gave  his  message  at  the  door  of  the  chief's  house, 
as  the  Indian  attendants  would  not  let  him  enter. 
They  answered  that  Tuscaloosa  would  come  pres 
ently.  Some  time  passed;  Tuscaloosa  did  not  ap 
pear.  Juan  Ortiz  went  again  with  his  message  to  the 
door,  and  received  the  same  reply.  After  another 
interval  of  waiting  for  Tuscaloosa  —  a  good  long  one 
—  he  went  a  third  time,  telling  the  guards  to  say  to 
Tuscaloosa  that  he  must  come  at  once,  for  the  Ade 
lantado  was  waiting  and  the  food  was  upon  the  table. 
Thereupon  a  magnificent  warrior  stepped  to  the 
door.  "  Who,"  said  he,  arrogantly,  "  are  these  vaga 
bonds  and  thieves  who  are  calling  to  my  chief,  Tus 
caloosa,  their  ccome,  come  !'  as  if  they  were  talking  to 
one  of  themselves  ?  By  the  Sun  and  the  Moon,  there 
is  no  one  here  who  is  going  to  put  up  with  their 
insolence ! " 

164 


The  Battle  of  Mauvila  165 

The  words  were  not  out  of  his  mouth  before  a 
warrior,  coming  up  behind,  put  a  bow  and  arrows 
in  his  hand,  and  he,  throwing  his  marten-skin 
mantle  back,  placed  the  arrow  on  the  string  and 
aimed  it  at  a  group  of  Spaniards  standing  in  the 
square.  Balthazar  de  Gallegos  happened  to  be 
standing  just  by  the  side  of  the  door.  In  a  flash  he 
drew  his  sword  and  gave  the  Indian  a  cut  that 
opened  him  from  shoulder  to  waist.  The  warrior 
fell  over  the  threshold  dead.  Then  the  fight  began. 
The  first  in  the  rush  of  the  warriors  from  the  door 
was  a  beautiful-looking  youth,  perhaps  the  son  of 
the  first  warrior.  He  shot  six  or  seven  arrows  at 
Gallegos  with  frightful  skill  and  quickness,  but  see 
ing  them  fall  harmless  from  the  armour  of  the  Span 
iard,  he  took  his  bow  wifti  both  hands,  and  closing 
with  him  he  thundered  five  or  six  blows  over  his  head 
so  strong  and  quick  that  Gallegos  saw  stars  dancing 
before  his  eyes.  With  blood  streaming  down  his  face, 
the  cavalier  gave  two  thrusts  of  his  sword,  and  the 
young  warrior  fell  dead  over  the  old  one. 

A  prolonged  war-cry  now  rose  from  every  quarter 
of  the  village,  and  from  every  house  in  sight  Indians 
poured  out,  and  charged  upon  the  Spaniards  in  the 
square.  So  great  was  their  number,  and  so  wild  and 
furious  their  rush,  that  the  Spaniards,  like  leaves 
before  the  hurricane,  their  feet  barely  touching  the 
ground,  were  borne  along  before  it,  and  cast  out 
side  the  gate  more  than  two  hundred  paces,  into 
the  open  field.  The  horsemen  flew  to  get  their 
horses  before  the  Indians  should  reach  them.  The 


1 66  Hernando  de  Soto 

quickest  of  foot  managed  to  reach  them  and  mount ; 
the  slower  reached  them  only  in  time  to  cut  their 
halters,  so  that  they  could  escape  the  arrows  shot  at 
them.  But  there  were  some  who  could  not  do  even 
this,  and  their  poor  beasts  were  shot  to  death  by 
swarms  of  dancing  Indians,  who  emptied  quivers  of 
arrows  into  them.  The  pack  bearers  and  the  slaves 
of  the  Spaniards  had  remained  outside  the  village, 
laying  their  packs  down  all  over  the  ground  near  by 
the  walls,  and  waiting  for  orders  to  direct  them  to 
their  quarters.  And  now  while  one  band  of  the 
men  of  Mauvila  was  killing  the  horses,  and  another 
pursuing  the  hard-pressed  Spaniards,  a  third,  leap 
ing  from  the  walls,  made  these  Indians  take  up  their 
packs  again  and  carry  them  into  the  village,  where 
the  chains  were  struck  off  from  the  slaves,  and 
bows  and  arrows  given  to  all  to  fight  with.  Thus 
the  luggage  of  the  army,  the  clothing  and  the  pearls 
and  all  the  property  of  the  Spaniards  passed  into  the 
hands  of  the  Indians,  and  the  cavaliers  and  soldiers 
were  left  with  only  what  they  had  on  their  backs. 

The  few  cavaliers  who  had  been  able  to  mount 
their  horses  charged  upon  the  furious  mass  of  In 
dians,  before  whom  the  little  handful  of  Spaniards 
on  foot,  fighting  with  might  and  main  for  their  lives, 
were  retreating  down  the  open  field.  The  shock  of 
the  horses  gained  them  a  moment's  respite  in  which 
to  reform  their  ranks ;  and  now  in  two  divisions, 
footmen  and  horsemen,  they  turned  and  charged 
upon  their  pursuers,  and  fired  by  the  disgrace  and 
humiliation  of  their  flight,  they  did  not  stop  until 


The  Battle  of  Mauvila  167 

they  had  driven  the  Indians  back  within  their  walls. 
The  gates  were  pushed  to  and  barred.  The  Span 
iards  beat  and  strove  against  them,  but  such  a  storm 
of  arrows  and  stones  fell  from  the  wall  and  towers, 
that  they  were  forced  to  withdraw  out  of  their  range. 
Seeing  the  Spaniards  again  retreat,  the  Indians  made 
another  furious  charge,  dashing  out  of  the  gate  and 
leaping  over  the  wall ;  and  the  Spaniards,  cursing  in 
their  shame  of  it  as  they  did,  were  again  hurled  back 
more  than  two  hundred  paces,  but  facing  their  ene 
mies,  and  fighting  steadily,  shoulder  to  shoulder. 
They  knew  that  in  order  and  discipline  alone  lay 
their  one  chance  of  safety,  and  a  slim  enough  chance 
that  was,  few  as  they  were,  and  in  such  sore  need  of 
the  rest  of  the  army,  which  still  did  not  come  up. 
Again  they  charged,  and  drove  the  Indians  back 
into  the  village  ;  but  again  the  walls  were  too  deadly 
for  them,  and  they  were  forced  to  retire.  And  so, 
advancing  and  retiring,  charging  and  retreating,  they 
fought  without  pause  for  the  space  of  full  three 
hours,  always  retreating,  however,  a  little  farther,  to 
draw  the  Indians  farther  and  farther  from  their 
walls  and  out  into  the  open,  where  the  horses  could 
have  more  ground  and  space  for  their  chargeSo 

And  in  their  rear,  coming  up  and  falling  back,  with 
them,  now  close  at  their  shoulders,  now  careering 
at  full  speed  away  from  their  rear,  rode  the  young 
Dominican  priest,  Juan  de  Gallegos,  the  brother  of 
Balthazar.  He  wanted  to  give  his  horse  to  his 
brother,  and  kept  calling  to  him  at  the  top  of  his 
voice  to  come  and  get  it;  but  Balthazar,  in  the 


1 68  Hernando  de  Soto 

front  rank  of  the  fighters,  had  no  time  to  respond, 
nor  would  he  have  left  his  place.  And  thus,  in  one 
of  his  retreats,  an  Indian  happened  to  clap  eyes  upon 
the  priest  and  planted  an  arrow  between  his  shoul 
ders.  The  wound  was  only  a  slight  one,  for  besides 
hood  and  gown,  the  friars  back  was  protected  by  his 
large  felt  sombrero,  that  had  slipped  from  his  head 
and  hung  by  its  cord  round  his  neck  like  a  shield. 
After  that  the  friar  kept  his  distance  from  the 
combat.  Many  Spaniards  had  already  fallen,  dead 
or  wounded,  but  the  greatest  loss,  and  the  one 
which  caused  most  pain  and  grief  to  comrades  and 
soldiers,  was  that  of  Don  Carlos  Enriques,  a  cavalier 
of  Badajoz,  who  had  married  the  niece  of  the  Ade- 
lantado,  and  who  was  by  all  odds  the  best  loved  man 
in  all  the  army.  He  was  on  horseback  and  fighting 
like  the  bravest  of  cavaliers,  as  he  was,  when,  in  one 
of  the  charges,  his  horse  was  shot  by  an  arrow,  just 
above  the  breastplate ;  and  as  he  retreated  he  bent 
over  to  draw  the  arrow  out,  passing  his  lance  to  his 
left  hand,  and  stretching  himself  over  the  horse's 
neck  and  pulling  at  it.  The  turn  of  his  head  ex 
posed  a  streak  of  throat;  instantly  a  three-pronged 
flint-headed  arrow  cut  across  it  like  a  knife,  and  he 
fell  from  his  horse,  almost  beheaded. 

The  Indians,  seeing  their  great  disadvantage  in 
the  open  ground  on  account  of  the  horses,  now,  with 
shrill  cries,  called  their  forces  together  from  all  over 
the  field,  and  falling  back  into  the  village,  closed  the 
gates  and  manned  their  walls.  De  Soto  called  upon 
the  best  armoured  cavaliers  to  dismount  and  storm 


The  Battle  of  Mauvila  169 

the  gate.  Quick  as  his  word  they  formed  a  column 
and,  holding  their  shields  over  their  heads,  they 
dashed  upon  the  gate  with  their  axes,  cut  it  open, 
and  with  one  impetus  charged  through  it.  Not  to 
be  kept  outside  and  lose  time  from  the  fight  by  wait 
ing  to  push  through  the  narrow  openings,  other 
Spaniards  assaulted  the  wall  itself,  and  with  quick 
blows  of  their  axes  cut  great  breaches  in  the  smooth 
mortar,  and  clambering  over  on  the  crosspieces, 
jumped  down  inside.  When  they  saw  the  Span 
iards  again  inside  the  village,  the  Indians,  maddened 
to  fury,  threw  themselves  upon  them  and  fought  like 
wild  beasts  ;  up  and  down  the  broad  mainway,  in  and 
out  the  passages  between  the  houses  and  from  the 
roofs.  The  Spaniards  were  shut  in,  front,  rear,  and 
above, 

It  was  the  fourth  hour  of  the  fight,  and  it  was 
as  dogged  as  at  the  first.  The  Indians  still  serried 
and  firm,  the  Spaniards  steadily  using  their  swords 
and  lances,  but  finding  that  the  more  they  killed 
the  deadlier  and  fiercer  was  the  spirit  against  them. 
Command  was  given  to  fire  the  houses ;  in  an 
instant  sheets  of  flame  and  smoke  rose  from  the 
nearest  ones.  The  roofs  were  thatched  with  straw, 
dry  as  tinder,  and  in  another  instant,  in  the  small 
enclosure,  the  heat  of  hell  was  added  to  the  carnage, 
the  blood,  the  dust,  and  the  noise.  Up  to  this  time 
the  Adelantado  had  fought  on  foot;  now,  running 
out  of  the  village,  he  seized  a  horse.  Nuno  de  To- 
bar  followed  him,  and  the  two  soon  came  thundering 
back  like  a  whirlwind  through  the  mainway,  calling 


170  Hernando  de  Soto 

out,  "  Our  Lady  !  "  and  "  Santiago  !  "  and  shouting 
to  their  men  to  make  way.  The  Spaniards  opened 
ranks,  and  on  they  rode  through  and  broke  into 
the  mass  of  fighting  Indians  in  front,  and  charged 
through  them,  from  one  end  to  another,  lancing  to 
the  right  and  left,  the  Indians  rushing  together  be 
hind  them,  like  water  behind  the  keel  of  a  vessel ; 
and  when  the  cavaliers  turned  their  horses  again,  a 
solid  front  of  fighters  met  them.  Back  and  forth 
they  charged,  shouting  their  battle-cry,  arrows  follow 
ing  them  like  a  cloud  of  dust,  pelting  their  armour 
and  dropping  off.  While  De  Soto  was  rising  in  his 
stirrups  to  give  a  thrust  of  his  lance,  an  Indian  sent 
an  arrow  through  his  coat  of  mail  into  his  thigh. 
There  was  no  time  to  have  the  arrow  pulled  out,  so 
he  fought  the  rest  of  the  day  standing  in  his  stir 
rups,  a  feat  of  horsemanship  that  was  ever  afterwards 
cited  with  admiration  by  his  men. 

The  flames  raging  more  furiously  from  minute  to 
minute,  the  village  was  now  one  sheet  of  flame. 
There  was  no  escape  from  it.  The  Indians  fight 
ing  on  the  roofs  did  not  have  time  to  leap  down 
from  the  blazing  thatching ;  the  women  crowding 
the  inside  could  not  get  out  and  were  suffocated  in 
heaps,  and  thousands  perished.  The  cavalry  now 
surged  back  and  forth  in  the  public  square ;  and 
here  the  wind  would  blow  the  smoke  and  flames 
now  upon  the  Indians,  blinding  and  driving  them 
back,  now  against  the  Spaniards,  driving  them  back, 
when  the  Indians  would  charge  forward  and  regain 
all  the  space  that  they  had  lost.  Wild  with  heat 


"Back  and  forth  they  charged." 


The  Battle  of  Mauvila  171 

and  thirst,  the  Spaniards  would  run  for  drink  to  a 
pool  near  the  walls ;  it  was  running  blood,  but 
even  so  they  drank  and  returned  to  the  fight. 
Four  o'clock  came,  and  the  eighth  hour  of  the 
fight. 

The  Indians,  seeing  what  numbers  had  gone 
down  under  fire  and  steel,  and  that  their  ranks 
were  weakening  for  want  of  fighters,  called  now 
upon  their  women,  crying  to  them  to  take  up  arms 
and  avenge  the  death  of  their  men,  and  if  they 
could  not  avenge  them,  to  do  as  the  men  were 
doing,  die  rather  than  be  made  the  slaves  of  the 
Spaniards.  Women  were  already  fighting  by  the 
side  of  the  men,  but  now,  when  that  cry  came,  all 
responded,  not  one  held  back ;  on  they  ran,  grasp 
ing  from  the  ground  swords,  partisans,  lances,  or 
bows  and  arrows,  which  they  used  with  the  skill 
and  strength  and  deadly  ferocity  of  the  men.  It 
was  like  pouring  oil  upon  a  conflagration,  and  the 
fight  was  such  as  the  Spaniards  had  never  seen. 
The  women  braved  death  even  more  recklessly  than 
the  men,  throwing  their  naked  breasts  upon  the  keen 
weapons  of  their  enemies,  so  as  to  seize  the  points  in 
their  hands.  The  Spaniards,  their  foes  being  women, 
and  fighting  only  to  die,  weakened  against  them, 
and  refrained  from  killing  them,  admiring  them  in 
truth  for  their  youth  and  beauty  and  fierce  indomita- 
bleness.  And  all  day  long  the  drums  and  trumpets 
had  not  ceased  to  sound  loud  and  clear  for  the  rear 
guard  to  make  haste  and  come  to  the  relief,  and 
still  it  did  not  come.  The  master  of  camp  was 


172  Hernando  de  Soto 

taking  his  time  about  it,  and  when  he  drew  his 
army  out,  his  men,  careless  and  lazy  after  the  long 
peace  and  good  time  that  summer,  scattered  over 
the  fields  and  advanced  at  their  ease  and  leisure, 
picking  fruit,  laughing  and  talking,  wandering  for 
ward  like  a  picnic  party.  It  was  not  until  about 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  that  they  came  within 
earshot  of  the  village,  and  heard  the  drums  and 
trumpets,  and  cries  and  shouts,  and  saw  the  smoke 
boiling  out  as  if  from  the  crater  of  a  volcano.  The 
alarm  ran  from  mouth  to  mouth ;  fear  and  anxiety 
hurried  them  along  fast  enough  now,  and  they 
raced,  each  man  for  himself,  and  came  running  into 
the  village.  The  Indians  trying  to  head  them 
off,  the  fight  flared  up  again  outside  the  wall,  and 
for  a  space  the  contest  was  as  hot  outside  as  in. 
Ten  or  twelve  horsemen,  who  were  not  to  be 
stopped,  spurred  their  way  in,  among  the  first 
Diego  de  Soto,  the  brother-in-law  of  Don  Car 
los  Enriques.  Hearing  of  the  fate  of  Don  Carlos, 
he  threw  himself  from  his  horse  in  a  passion  to 
avenge  him,  and  with  shield  and  sword  flew  through 
the  bloody  corpse-strewn  mainway  to  where  the 
fight  was  fiercest  and  hottest.  He  had  barely 
reached  it  when  he  fell  with  an  arrow  shot  through 
his  eye,  coming  out  at  the  back  of  his  neck. 

And  now,  one  by  one,  by  tens,  and  finally  by 
columns,  the  rear-guard  came  into  the  fight.  Fresh 
and  eager,  they  threw  themselves  in  front  of  their 
tired,  straining  comrades ;  and  the  reinforcement 
told.  Soon  about  the  middle  of  the  open  place 


The  Battle  of  Mauvila 


173 


stood  only  a  hollow  square  of  warriors  and  women, 
in  the  culmination  of  their  desperation,  hoping  and 
caring  for  naught  but  to  die  fighting.  The  horses 
leaped  upon  them,  trampling  them  down,  charg 
ing  upon  them  with  such  impetus  that  they  over 
threw  the  Spaniards,  fighting  on  the  other  side. 
Over  and  over  again  they  charged,  until  the  hoofs 
of  the  chargers  trampled  only  the  dead,  for  not 
one  would  surrender ;  all  died  there  standing,  fight 
ing  like  the  superb  soldiers  they  were,  says  the 
Spanish  chronicler.  This  was  the  end;  the  battle 
was  over ;  the  Spaniards  had  at  last  won  the  day. 
It  was  sunset;  both  sides  had  been  fighting  for  nine 
hours,  but  all  was  now  over.  Not  all !  —  one  war 
rior  still  fought,  until,  looking  round,  he  saw  that 
his  people  were  all  dead  and  gone  —  all ;  that  he 
alone  was  left  alive.  He  turned,  and  with  the  light 
ness  of  a  deer  ran  to  the  wall  and  leaped  upon  it. 
Below  him,  on  the  outside,  the  Spanish  foot  and 
horse  were  chasing  Indians  and  killing  them  all 
over  the  field.  There  was  no  escape  for  him  there, 
and  his  pursuers  were  upon  him.  He  loosed  the 
string  from  his  bow  in  a  flash,  twisted  one  end 
round  the  branch  of  a  tree  growing  in  the  wall, 
the  other  round  his  neck.  A  spring,  and  as  the 
Spaniards  reached  him,  he  hung  dead. 


CHAPTER   XV 

AFTER    THE    BATTLE 

THE  Adelantado  ordered  the  killed  to  be  col 
lected  for  burial,  the  wounded  to  be  carried 
to  the  surgeon.  The  dead  amounted  to 
eighty-two  men  ;  eighteen  of  them  had  arrows  stick 
ing  in  the  mouth  and  eyes,  the  Indians  by  this  time 
having  learned  to  aim  not  at  the  armoured  body,  but 
at  the  face.  Forty-five  horses  were  killed.  There 
were  seventeen  hundred  and  seventy  wounds  for  the 
surgeon  to  treat;  that  is,  dangerous  wounds  that 
he  alone  could  attend  to  —  deep  cuts  in  flesh  and 
muscle,  shattered  bones,  broken  skulls,  arrows  in 
the  back,  bones,  or  joints.  The  slight  wounds,  such 
as  arrows  in  the  calf  of  the  leg,  hips,  arms,  or  body, 
which  caused  no  fear  of  death  or  lameness,  were 
cared  for  by  the  men  themselves,  one  wounded  man 
tending  another.  There  was  hardly  a  man  in  the 
army  that  came  out  of  the  fight  with  less  than  five 
or  six  of  these  slight  wounds ;  many  of  them  had 
ten  or  twelve. 

There  was  only  one  surgeon  in  the  army,  and  he 
now  proved  himself  neither  competent  nor  skilful, 
but  stupid  and  almost  good  for  nothing.  And  this 

174 


After  the  Battle  175 

was  not  the  worst.  In  their  dire  extremity,  the 
Spaniards  found  that  they  had  no  medicaments ;  that 
the  oil,  bandages,  and  lint  had  been  destroyed ;  and 
not  only  that,  but  all  the  supply  of  linen  clothing, 
the  sheets  and  shirts,  that  could  have  been  used  for 
bandages  and  lint,  and,  in  fact,  all  the  clothing  of 
any  kind  whatsoever,  had  been  carried  into  the  vil 
lage  by  the  Indians  and  there  burned  in  the  fire 
that  the  Spaniards  themselves  had  kindled.  There 
was  nothing  even  to  eat,  for  all  the  food,  that  which 
the  Spaniards  had  brought  and  that  which  the 
Indians  had  in  their  houses,  had  been  consumed, 
too,  by  the  flames,  to  the  last  grain.  Without  a 
physician  worthy  of  the  name,  without  remedies, 
bandages,  or  lint,  without  food  or  clothing  to  cover 
themselves  with,  without  shelter,  even,  in  which  to 
escape  from  the  cold  and  the  night  —  such  was  the 
condition  of  the  Spaniards  after  their  victory.  And 
even  if  they  had  wished  to  go  in  search  of  anything, 
the  darkness  and  their  ignorance  of  where  they  were 
prevented ;  and  so  exhausted  were  they  that  they 
could  hardly  stand  on  their  feet.  The  only  abun 
dance  they  had,  says  the  chronicler,  was  in  sighs  and 
groans.  They  prayed  to  God  for  help,  and  he 
helped  them  —  as  he  always  does  help  the  brave  — 
for  he  sent  them  the  reflection  that  there  was  no 
help  for  them  but  what  came  from  their  own 
strength  and  courage.  So  they  recovered  heart, 
and,  all  at  once  and  with  energy,  went  to  work  to 
relieve  the  situation,  each  man  helping  the  man 
who  was  worse  off  than  himself. 


176  Hernando  de  Soto 

To  procure  shelter,  some  ran  to  the  huts  put  up 
by  the  Indians  for  the  encampment,  and,  fetching 
away  the  twigs  and  branches,  built  sheds  against  the 
portions  of  the  wall  that  were  still  left  standing. 
Others  opened  the  bodies  of  the  dead  Indians  and 
got  out  the  fat  for  salves  and  oils  to  dress  the 
wounds  ;  others  brought  straw  to  cover  the  sufferers. 
One  party  stripped  their  dead  and  living  compan 
ions  of  their  shirts ;  and  of  these  the  linen  ones 
were  reserved  for  the  dressing  of  the  most  danger 
ous  wounds.  Another  party  busied  themselves  in 
butchering  the  dead  horses  to  get  the  meat  for 
broths  and  teas,  for  there  was  nothing  else  to 
nourish  the  sick  with.  And  in  addition  to  all  this, 
they  did  sentinel  and  guard  duty,  although  there 
were  only  few  among  them  capable  of  bearing  arms. 
A  very  small  force  of  Indians  that  night  could 
have  accomplished  Tuscaloosa's  design  and  finished 
them  all. 

Eight  days  the  Spaniards  lived  in  the  miserable 
sheds  against  the  walls.  When  they  were  able  to 
leave  them,  they  went  to  the  huts  made  by  the  In 
dians  for  their  encampment,  where  they  remained 
for  fifteen  days,  waiting  for  their  wounds  to  heal. 
Those  who  had  the  slightest  wounds  went  on  re- 
connoissances  to  the  villages  round  about  to  look 
for  food.  The  villages  were  small,  but  there  were 
great  numbers  of  them;  and  in  all  were  found  many 
wounded  Indians,  but  never  a  sound  man  or  woman 
tending  them.  The  Spaniards  believed  that  Indians 
hidden  in  the  woods  came  at  night  to  minister  to 


After  the  Battle  177 

them,  returning  to  the  forest  by  daylight.  No  In 
dian  was  seen  in  the  fields  nor  on  the  road ;  and 
the  horsemen  hunting  captives  to  get  information, 
caught  in  all  only  fifteen  or  twenty.  Questioning 
these  as  to  whether  the  Indians  were  collecting  any 
where  to  come  out  again  against  the  Spaniards,  they 
said  that,  as  in  the  last  battle  all  their  strongest, 
most  noble,  and  valiant  warriors  had  perished,  there 
were  none  left  to  take  up  arms.  And  this  seemed 
to  be  the  truth ;  for  in  all  the  time  that  Spaniards 
were  in  that  encampment,  no  Indians  appeared, 
even  to  give  a  war-cry  or  false  alarm. 

The  Spaniards  believed  that  upwards  of  eleven 
thousand  of  them  had  perished.  More  than  twenty- 
five  hundred  bodies  were  found  around  the  village 
outside  of  the  walls,  among  them  the  body  of  the 
splendid  young  warrior,  Tuscaloosa's  giant  son. 
In  the  village  more  than  three  thousand  more  were 
found ;  one  could  not  walk  in  the  main  road  nor 
in  the  passages  between  the  houses  without  stepping 
upon  corpses.  The  fire,  the  Spaniards  calculated, 
must  have  consumed  more  than  thirty-five  hundred, 
for  in  one  house  alone  upwards  of  one  thousand 
burned  corpses  were  found,  and  the  pity  of  it  was, 
to  the  Spaniards,  most  of  them  were  women.  For 
a  distance  of  four  leagues  all  around  the  village,  in 
the  thickets  and  hollows,  the  Spaniards  reconnoi 
tring  the  country  found  more  than  two  thousand 
dead  or  wounded  Indians  who  had  tried  to  get  to 
their  homes  but  could  not ;  and  it  was  pitiful  to  find 
the  wounded  ones  moaning  all  alone  in  the  forest. 


178  Hernando  de  Soto 

Of  the  fate  of  Tuscaloosa  himself,  nothing  cer 
tain  was  ever  learned.  Some  of  the  Indians  said 
that  he  had  fled  and  escaped,  others  that  he  had 
perished  in  the  fire,  and  this  last  seems  the  more 
probable  and  worthy  of  him. 

There  was  a  loss  from  the  fire  that  the  Spaniards 
suffered  from  in  another  than  a  bodily  way — this  was 
through  the  burning  of  the  wheaten  flour  and  the 
wine,  set  apart  and  carefully  guarded  for  the  Sacra 
ment,  with  the  chalice,  altars,  and  ornaments  and 
all  other  appointments  for  divine  worship.  And 
from  that  time  on  the  celebration  of  the  Mass  in 
the  army  became  an  impossibility,  because  there  was 
no  wine  nor  bread  to  consecrate  for  the  Eucharist. 
It  was  debated  among  the  priests  and  officers 
whether  bread  of  corn  might  not  be  consecrated, 
but  it  was  agreed  that,  in  their  ignorance,  it  was 
safer  not  to  do  so.  And  so  the  matter  was  left ;  for 
even  if  the  priests  had  found  anything  to  conse 
crate  for  the  Eucharist,  they  would  still  have  lacked 
chalice  and  altar.  Nevertheless,  every  feast  day 
and  Sunday  the  priest,  in  vestments  of  deerskin, 
would  stand  before  an  altar  of  their  own  making 
and  repeat  the  creed  and  prayers  and  read  the 
Epistle  and  Evangel,  and  preach  the  sermon.  The 
soldiers  called  it  dry  Mass,  and  it  was  all  they  had 
during  the  rest  of  their  sojourn  in  Florida. 

On  the  march  to  Mauvila,  the  Adelantado  had 
gathered  from  the  Indians  the  information  that  two 
ships  were  sailing  along  the  coast.  This  was  con 
firmed  by  the  captives  after  the  battle,  from  whom 


After  the  Battle  179 

it  was  also  learned  that  Achuse,  where  Maldonado 
was  to  bring  his  ships,  lay  not  more  than  six  days' 
journey  from  Mauvila.  This  was  news  to  rejoice 
all,  for  it  meant  the  end  of  the  long  march  in  the  in 
terior,  and  the  beginning  of  the  settlement  and  own 
ership  of  the  land.  The  Adelantado  could  now  fix 
a  colony  in  the  port  of  Achuse  as  he  had  planned, 
where  he  could  safely  receive  vessels  from  all  parts  of 
the  world,  and  then  he  would  found  another  colony 
some  twenty  leagues  in  the  interior,  whence  he  could 
rule  all  the  Indians  of  Florida,  and  bring  them  into 
subjection  to  the  Roman  Catholic  faith  and  the  crown 
of  Spain. 

But  never  is  a  great  scheme  conceived  by  man 
but  there  is  conceived  at  the  same  time  the  discord 
that  is  secretly  to  destroy  it ;  and  the  door  through 
which  discord  entered  this  expedition  was,  as  ever, 
the  lust  and  greed  of  men.  The  soldiers  who  had 
been  in  the  Conquest  of  Peru,  and  had  seen  the 
great  wealth  of  gold  and  silver  there,  were  ever 
vaunting  that  country ;  and  as,  on  the  contrary, 
there  had  been  no  gold  nor  silver  found  in  Florida, 
it  seemed  impossible  for  them  to  be  contented  with 
the  idea  of  settling  and  colonizing  this  land.  And 
to  their  disappointment  about  the  gold  and  silver 
was  added  that  of  the  incredible  fierceness  of  the 
battle  of  Mauvila,  which  had  strangely  discouraged 
them.  So,  when  they  heard  of  the  ships  at  Achuse, 
they  began  to  talk  about  wanting  to  leave  the 
country,  to  get  out  of  it  as  soon  as  possible.  They 
said  it  would  be  impossible  to  conquer  so  warlike, 


180  Hernando  de  Soto 

or  to  subdue  so  free  and  independent  a  people,  and 
that,  judging  from  what  they  had  seen,  neither  force 
nor  cunning  would  ever  bring  them  under  the  yoke 
of  Spanish  dominion  ;  that  they  would  all  let  them 
selves  be  killed  first.  There  was  no  use,  the  mal 
contents  argued,  going  along,  wasting  away  their 
strength  little  by  little  in  that  country,  when  they 
could  go  to  other  wealthy  ones,  already  conquered, 
like  Peru  and  Mexico,  where  they  could  enrich  them 
selves  without  so  much  work.  Therefore  they 
thought  it  would  be  well,  as  soon  as  they  reached 
the  coast,  to  leave  the  cursed  land  they  were  in  and 
go  to  a  New  Spain.  Such,  and  other  similar  ideas 
were  whispered  and  passed  round ;  but  not  so  se 
cretly  that  it  did  not  come  to  the  ears  of  loyal  friends 
of  the  Adelantado ;  and  through  these  he  heard 
what  was  going  on  in  the  army,  that  the  soldiers 
were  talking  about  leaving  the  country  as  soon  as 
they  came  to  any  ships  or  boats  whatever. 

The  Adelantado  would  not  credit  it,  without  first 
testing  the  truth  for  himself.  And  so  he  went  the 
rounds  of  the  camp  at  night  in  disguise,  spying  and 
listening,  and  thus  heard  no  less  a  personage  than 
the  royal  treasurer,  Juan  Gaytan,  and  others  in  his 
hut,  plotting  together,  as  soon  as  they  arrived  at  the 
port  of  Achuse,  to  take  the  ships  and  sail  to  Mex 
ico  or  Peru,  or  return  to  Spain.  There  was  no 
doubt  left  in  the  mind  of  the  Adelantado ;  his  army 
was  disbanding,  and  his  men  looking  out  for  other 
places  to  go  to,  abandoning  him  as  Francisco  de 
Pizarro  had  been  abandoned  in  the  beginning  of  the 


After  the  Battle  181 

Conquest  of  Peru.  And  he  knew  if  these  men  de 
serted  him  and  went  away,  there  was  no  possibility 
of  ever  raising  a  new  army;  that  he  would  be  left, 
dispossessed  of  his  position,  authority,  and  reputa 
tion,  with  all  his  wealth  wasted  in  vain,  and  all  his 
excessive  toil  lost. 

The  blow  struck  keenly,  and  upon  a  man  so  jeal 
ous  of  his  honour  as  De  Soto,  it  could  not  but  have 
an  instantaneous  and  desperate  effect.  But  putting 
vengeance  and  punishment  out  of  his  mind  for  the 
present,  he  dissimulated  his  anger  and  resentment, 
determined  never  to  suffer  the  evil  meditated  by 
the  weak,  cowardly  souls  to  come  to  pass.  And  so 
without  giving  any  insight  whatever  into  his  feel 
ings,  or  letting  his  anger  be  suspected,  he  carefully 
suppressed  further  tidings  about  the  ships  and  se 
cretly  made  his  plans  to  lead  the  army  imperceptibly 
again  into  the  interior,  and  away  from  the  sea-coast, 
and  thus  deprive  the  traitors  of  their  opportunity  to 
betray  him.  And  here  it  was  that  De  Soto's  failure 
commenced ;  this  was  the  prime  cause  of  the  loss  of 
his  expedition.  Deceived  in  his  hopes  and  thwarted 
in  his  ambition  for  conquest  and  fame  by  his  own 
soldiers,  he  was  from  that  day  a  changed,  a  discon 
tented,  and  an  unhappy  man.  Never  afterwards 
was  the  army  able  to  accomplish  anything  that 
pleased  him,  or  that  he  would  even  pretend  to  be 
pleased  with  ;  on  the  contrary,  he  seemed  to  feel 
only  contempt  for  it.  And  this  disconcerted  and 
dissatisfied  his  friends,  who  said  among  themselves 
that  he  should  boldly  have  pursued  his  first  plan, 


1 82  Hernando  de  Soto 

and  gone  to  the  seashore,  where  he  could  have  put 
an  end  to  the  mutiny  by  punishing  the  heads  of  it, 
which  would  have  frightened  the  rest  of  the  conspira 
tors,  and  still  have  saved  his  expedition.  But  how 
ever  clear-headed  he  was  in  habitual  temper,  the 
Adelantado  threw  his  judgment  away  when  in  a  pas 
sion,  or  used  it  only  to  gratify  his  passion.  To 
keep  his  men  from  suspecting  his  designs,  he  went 
about  among  them,  encouraging  them,  telling  them 
in  a  very  different  spirit  from  his  usual  frank  one 
with  his  soldiers,  to  hurry  and  get  well,  so  that  they 
could  leave  that  cursed  country  where  they  had  suf 
fered  so  much. 

On  the  twenty-fourth  day  after  the  battle,  on 
Sunday  the  i8th  of  November,  he  broke  up  his 
camp,  starting  his  army  as  if  to  return  to  Achuse  in 
the  same  road  they  had  travelled  to  Mauvila. 


CHAPTER   XVI 

IN    THE    CHICKASAW    COUNTRY 

THE  Adelantado  marched  without  stopping 
out  of  the  territory  of  Tuscaloosa,  and 
turning  due  north,  entered  into  that  of  the 
Chickasaws.  Here,  a  large  village  standing  on  the 
steep  bank  of  a  deep  river1  brought  him  to  a  halt; 
for  drawn  up  in  front  of  it  was  a  formidable  look 
ing  band  of  about  fifteen  hundred  warriors.  Their 
defence,  however,  was  only  a  show.  When  the 
Spaniards  charged,  they  threw  themselves  into  the 
river  and  crossed  it  swimming,  abandoning  the  vil 
lage,  which  had  already  been  completely  emptied 
of  the  women  and  children  and  provisions.  They 
drew  up  on  the  other  side,  fronting  the  army,  spread 
ing  out  along  the  bank,  as  reinforcements  arrived. 
That  night  and  the  following,  noiselessly  paddling 
over  the  river  in  canoes,  they  gave  the  Spaniards  in 
camp  little  rest  or  respite  from  their  attacks.  The 
third  night  the  Spaniards,  hiding  themselves  in  deep 
pits  along  the  bank,  lay  in  wait  for  them,  and  when 
the  Indians  had  landed,  and  were  well  away  from 
their  canoes,  they  rushed  out  upon  them  and  slashed 

1  The  Black  Warrior  River,  says  Pickett,  near  the  modern  town  of  Erie. 
183 


184  Hernando  de  Soto 

them  with  their  swords.  After  this,  the  Indians 
gave  up  crossing  the  river  and  concentrated  all  their 
energy  upon  guarding  their  own  bank. 

Seeing  that  he  was  losing  time  waiting  for  the 
enemy  to  relax  vigilance,  the  Adelantado  ordered 
two  large  flat  boats  to  be  built,  the  carpenters  work 
ing  back  in  the  forest,  to  keep  the  Indians  from 
finding  out  what  they  were  doing.  When  the  boats 
were  finished,  they  were  carried  to  the  river  and 
launched  during  the  night,  and  before  day  each  boat 
started  over  with  ten  cavaliers  and  a  load  of  foot 
men.  The  infantry  rowed,  while  the  cavaliers  sat 
their  horses,  ready  to  leap  on  land  the  moment  the 
boat  touched.  With  all  their  efforts  at  silence  and 
quiet,  however,  the  quick  ears  of  the  Indians,  patrol 
ling  opposite,  heard  them.  Their  war-cries  broke 
out  like  the  barking  of  watch-dogs,  and  it  became 
now  a  race  between  the  boats  and  the  Indians  to 
get  to  the  landing-place  first.  The  rowers  bent 
and  strained  at  their  oars,  but  before  they  were  half 
way  over  every  one  of  them  had  arrows  sticking  in 
him.  As  the  first  boat  touched  the  bank  and  a 
cavalier  jumped  his  horse  ashore,  Gonzalo  Silvestre 
followed,  and  the  two,  charging  the  Indians,  drove 
them  back  and  gained  time  for  the  rest  of  their  corps 
to  land,  repeating  this  charge  until  the  other  horse 
men  came  to  their  assistance.  The  wounded  infan 
try  rushed  through  the  arrows  to  a  cluster  of  cabins, 
where  they  cowered  under  shelter. 

By  the  time  the  second  boatload  had  crossed, 
the  Indians  were  retreating  into  the  forest  to  make 


In  the  Chickasaw  Country  185 

their  way  to  a  camp  they  had  fortified  there.  The 
Spaniards  pursued,  but  the  Indians  remained  behind 
their  palisades ;  and  during  the  night  they  dis 
appeared,  and  the  army  could  resume  its  march 
next  day  through  the  country  without  hindrance  — 
always  the  same  flat,  pleasant  country,  filled  with 
small  villages,  well  stored  with  beans  and  corn. 
Coming  to  another  river  (the  Little  Tombigbee),  the 
Indians  were  again  found  drawn  up  in  line  of  battle. 
The  Adelantado  sent  a  messenger  over  with  proffers 
of  peace ;  they  slew  the  man  in  the  face  of  the 
army,  but  then,  as  if  satisfied,  with  a  great  shout 
they  went  away.  The  Spaniards  built  other  boats 
and  crossed  the  river,  and  marching  on,  came  the 
next  day  to  a  remarkably  large  and  pretty  village,1 
built  on  a  rising  plain  crossed  by  rippling  streams, 
and  shaded  by  groves  of  oak  and  nut  trees,  stand 
ing  in  the  rich  mass  of  years  of  fruitage.  It  proved 
to  be  the  great  village  of  the  Chickasaws,  the  one 
which  bore  the  name  of  the  tribe  and  the  chief. 
The  cabins  were  empty  and  the  crops  still  un- 
gathered  in  the  surrounding  fields.  The  Spaniards 
entered  and  took  possession,  and  as  it  was  now  the 
first  week  in  December,  and  the  men  were  begin 
ning  to  suffer  greatly  in  their  denuded  condition 
from  the  cold,  the  Adelantado  decided  that  no  better 
place  could  be  found  in  which  to  winter.  The  walls 
were  repaired  and  shelters  built  for  the  horses, 
the  corn  was  gathered  from  the  field  and  neigh- 

1  This  village  is  supposed  to  have  stood  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Yazoo  River, 
some  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  north  of  Mobile. 


1 86  Hernando  de  Soto 

bouring  villages  were  raided  for  additional  provis 
ions. 

At  first  something  like  peace  and  quiet  was  en 
joyed  here.  The  only  military  employment  of  the 
men  was  to  give  the  horses  a  short  run  every  day 
when  the  weather  permitted,  and  catch  what  In 
dians  they  could  to  question  for  information  about 
the  country.  By  this  time,  as  nearly  every  province 
travelled  through  had  a  different  dialect,  twelve  or 
fourteen  interpreters  were  necessary  to  communicate 
with  the  natives,  Juan  Ortiz  standing  at  one  end  of 
the  line  and  passing  his  sentence  on  from  mouth 
to  mouth,  or  from  province  to  province,  as  the  case 
really  was,  until  it  arrived  at  the  last  one  under 
question.  Most  of  the  captives  were  at  once  set 
free  and  given  presents  to  take  to  their  chief,  with 
messages  inviting  him  to  peace  and  friendship.  To 
this  the  chief  responded,  also  with  presents  of 
fruit,  fish,  and  game ;  and  one  time  with  as  many 
as  a  hundred  and  fifty  rabbits,  and  always  with  great 
promises  of  coming  soon,  sending  excuses  and  mul 
tiplying  his  falsehoods  from  day  to  day  to  entertain 
the  Adelantado  and  keep  him  quiet. 

But  soon  he  dropped  his  amenities,  and  opened 
his  campaign ;  a  masterly  one  it  proved.  Every 
night  the  Spaniards  were  aroused  two  or  three  times 
by  false  alarms,  the  men  jumping  up  and  running 
out,  but  finding  nothing  to  fight.  This  was  kept 
up  steadily  for  two  months,  and,  as  it  turned  out, 
was  an  industrious  ruse  to  tire  the  Spaniards  with 
keeping  watch  and  to  put  them  off  their  guard. 


In  the  Chickasaw  Country  187 

One  night,  during  the  last  week  of  January,  a  north 
wind  sprang  up  and  blew  furiously.  The  Adelan- 
tado  had  his  misgivings,  and  that  very  night  had 
warned  Luis  de  Moscoso  to  keep  up  a  strong  watch; 
but  the  very  worst  men  in  the  army  seemed  to  have 
been  put  on  duty.  It  was  about  one  o'clock,  and 
the  wind  was  at  its  height,  when  from  the  four  sides 
of  the  village  there  came  such  a  blast  of  horns  and 
conchs,  clatter  of  drums,  and  war-whoops,  as  made 
the  wind  seem  still. 

The  Spaniards  sprang  to  arms,  but  before  they 
got  to  their  doors  the  roofs  of  their  cabins  were  in 
flames,  roaring  and  blazing  in  the  wind,  and  the  In 
dians  leaping  in  all  around  them.  In  four  separate 
bands,  the  Chickasaws  had  crept  up  on  the  four 
sides  of  the  camp.  Each  man  carried  a  lighted  taper 
made  of  a  grass  that  grows  in  that  part  of  the  coun 
try,  which  once  lighted  smoulders  like  the  fuse  of  an 
arquebuse,  until  slung  through  the  air,  when  it  bursts 
into  a  flame.  By  fastening  them  to  the  tip  of  their 
arrows  and  shooting  them,  the  Indians  could  fire  a 
building  at  a  distance.  The  Spaniards  leapt  through 
the  flames,  or  crawled  on  all  fours  under  them  with 
what  weapons  they  could  snatch;  but  in  whatever 
direction  they  ran,  the  wind  drove  the  fire  against 
them,  while  the  Indians,  springing  nimbly  and  from 
shelter  to  shelter,  shot  them  as  they  fled  hither  and 
thither  in  the  confusion.  The  horsemen  took  no 
time  to  put  on  armour,  or  saddle  horses,  but  as  they 
were,  in  their  shirts,  jerked  their  steeds  out  by  their 
halters,  and  jumping  on  their  backs,  galloped  them 


1 88  Hernando  de  Soto 

out  of  the  flames.  Many,  to  save  themselves,  were 
forced  to  abandon  their  horses. 

In  the  eastern  quarter  of  the  camp  the  fire  and 
attack  raged  most  furiously.  Forty  or  fifty  Span 
iards  stampeded  in  a  panic,  running  away  as  fast  as 
they  could.  But  Nuno  de  Tobar,  on  foot,  sword  in 
hand,  ran  after  them,  shouting  at  the  top  of  his 
voice :  "  Come  back,  soldiers,  come  back  !  Where 
are  you  running  to  ?  There  is  no  Cordova  or 
Seville  here  to  give  you  refuge  !  " 

From  the  other  side  of  the  camp  forty  or  fifty 
soldiers  came  running  up  just  at  the  moment,  and 
they,  abusing  the  men  for  their  cowardice,  brought 
them  to  themselves,  and  all  together  they  hastened 
round  the  village  to  a  place  where  Andreas  de 
Vasconselas  with  some  twenty  of  his  cavaliers  were 
hard  at  work.  And  now  from  one  direction  and 
another  men  came  running  into  the  fight,  closing 
with  the  Indians  wherever  they  found  them,  and 
driving  them  back  from  the  village.  But  where 
the  hottest  of  the  struggle  was  going  on  there  was 
the  Adelantado,  holding  his  opponents  at  bay.  He, 
who  to  be  ready  for  such  emergency  slept  always 
in  doublet  and  hose,  was  on  horseback  and  out 
of  the  village,  fighting,  before  any  other  cavalier. 
When  he  saw  his  forces  strengthening,  he  dashed 
forward  with  fresh  spirit  and  strength.  While 
rising  in  his  right  stirrup  to  give  his  lance  full  play, 
the  saddle  turned  and  pitched  him  head  foremost 
into  the  midst  of  his  enemies.  Seeing  his  jeopardy, 
his  men  sprang  to  the  rescue  and  fought  so  desper- 


In  the  Chickasaw  Country  189 

ately,  that,  before  the  Indians  could  get  at  him, 
he  was  dragged  out  from  among  them.  The  sad 
dle  was  instantly  upon  his  horse  again,  and  he  in 
the  saddle  and  back  in  the  fight.  The  saddle  had 
turned,  because  in  the  wild  haste  of  the  moment  the 
groom  had  not  buckled  the  girth,  and  the  Adelan- 
tado  had  been  fighting  all  this  time  with  the  sad 
dle  simply  laid  on  the  cloth. 

The  Indians  weakened,  as  they  always  did  in  the 
crisis  of  the  fight,  and  the  Spaniards  were  just  about 
turning  the  tables  against  them  when  their  cry  to 
retreat  was  heard  echoing  all  round  the  village ;  and 
almost  as  suddenly  as  they  came,  they  turned  their 
backs  and  fled  at  full  speed.  The  Spanish  pursued 
as  far  as  the  light  of  the  burning  village  extended, 
and  then  returned  to  count  their  loss.  It  was 
greater  than  they  feared ;  forty  Spaniards  killed  and 
fifty  horses.  Twenty  of  the  horses  were  burned  in 
the  stables,  chained  fast,  for  they  had  become  so 
frolicsome  and  restive  with  high  feeding  and  want 
of  exercise  that  their  masters  had  used  chains  instead 
of  halters,  and  so  the  poor  beasts  had  no  chance  to 
escape. 

Nearly  all  the  hogs  —  four  hundred  of  them  — 
were  burned  to  death.  To  guard  them  the  better 
from  the  depredations  of  the  Indians,  who  had 
become  so  greedy  for  them  that  they  constantly 
stole  them,  the  Adelantado  kept  them  in  the  cen 
tre  of  the  village  in  a  great  pen  covered  with 
straw.  This,  of  course,  caught  fire,  and  none  of  the 
hogs  escaped  except  the  little  sucking  pigs  that 


190  Hernando  de  Soto 

could  run  between  the  cracks  of  the  posts  ;  and  the 
hogs  were  so  fat  that,  it  was  said,  their  melted  grease 
soaked  the  ground  for  two  hundred  steps  around 
the  pen.  Among  other  things  related  by  the  Span 
ish  soldiers  of  this  night  attack  of  the  Chickasaws 
was  that  each  warrior  came  to  it  with  three  ropes 
tied  around  his  body  —  one  to  tie  and  carry  away  a 
Spaniard,  one  for  a  horse,  and  the  third  for  a  hog. 

Far  more  pitiable  than  after  the  battle  of 
Mauvila  was  the  plight  now  of  the  Spaniards ;  for 
not  only  were  the  few  clothes  that  remained  to  them 
burned,  but  all  their  weapons  and  saddles.  It  was 
well  for  them  that  the  Indians  did  not  attack  them 
the  next  day. 

The  Adelantado,  who  had  never  forgiven  Luis  de 
Moscoso  for  not  coming  up  more  quickly  with  the 
troops  at  Mauvila,  now,  after  the  negligence  that 
had  permitted  the  surprise  of  the  camp,  deposed 
him  and  appointed  Balthazar  de  Gallegos  master  of 
camp.  The  village  was  in  ruins  and  there  could  be 
no  question  of  remaining  in  it,  so  three  days  after 
the  attack,  the  army  drew  out  from  it,  and  with  their 
remnants  of  luggage,  camped  in  an  open  field  about 
a  league  distant.  Temporary  shelters  were  put  up 
with  the  timbers  and  thatching  carried  off  from 
neighbouring  villages.  The  soldiers  called  the  en 
campment  Chickasilla,  Little  Chickasaw.  Here  a 
forge  was  contrived  out  of  arquebuse  barrels,  with 
the  bellows  pieced  out  of  bear  skin,  and  in  all  haste 
and  with  all  their  energy,  the  men  turned  to  making 
new  lances,  shields,  and  saddles,  and  to  tempering 


In  the  Chickasaw  Country  191 

their  swords.  As  for  clothing,  they  looked  more 
like  gypsies  than  soldiers  :  one  without  a  coat,  an 
other  without  breeches,  and  all  barefooted ;  and  the 
winter  was  severe,  with  frost  and  ice  in  plenty. 
Their  only  comfort  was  fires  ;  but  they  complained 
that  they  spent  the  whole  night  turning  from  one 
side  to  the  other,  for  while  one  side  warmed,  the 
other  froze.  They  did  not  sleep  under  shelters, 
for  the  Adelantado,  fearing  another  conflagration, 
camped  them  in  the  open  in  four  separate  divisions, 
each  one  with  pickets  and  sentinels  posted.  To 
secure  against  surprise  during  the  night,  every  morn 
ing  five  or  six  detachments  of  cavalry  scouted  the 
country  in  all  directions  and  killed  all  Indians  met. 
When  they  returned  at  sunset,  they  could  truthfully 
say  that  there  was  not  a  live  Indian  in  a  circuit  of 
four  leagues  around  the  camp.  But  within  four  or 
five  hours  at  the  latest,  the  Indians  would  be  at  the 
camp  again,  and  seldom  a  night  passed  without  a 
soldier  or  horse  being  wounded. 

The  winter  wore  on  to  March,,  and  what  with  the 
constant  toil,  the  nightly  skirmishes,  the  cold,  and 
being  every  night  on  duty,  barefoot,  and  with  noth 
ing  on  but  breeches  and  a  shirt  of  buckskin,  the 
Spaniards  always  said  they  survived  only  through 
the  mercy  of  Heaven  and  Juan  Vega.  Juan  Vega 
was  one  of  the  common  soldiers,  a  peasant,  who  one 
day  bethought  him  of  making  a  mat  of  the  grass 
which  grew  long  and  pliable  thereabouts,  to  cover 
himself  with  from  the  cold  of  night.  He  plaited 
it  four  fingers  thick  and  so  long  and  wide  that  one 


192  Hernando  de  Soto 

half  served  as  mattress  and  the  other  as  blanket. 
When  he  found  how  comfortable  it  was,  he  plaited 
quantities  of  them  for  his  comrades  and  taught 
others  to  plait  them.  And  so  the  men  would  take 
their  mats  with  them  to  their  guard  stations  at 
night,  and  wrapping  themselves  in  them  were  able 
to  resist  the  cold,  from  which  otherwise,  they  said, 
they  would  have  perished. 

They  were  glad  enough  when  the  first  days  of 
spring  came,  and  they  could  move  away  from  the 
Chickasaw  country  and  proceed  with  their  discovery. 
After  marching  about  four  leagues,  the  Adelantado 
halted  for  the  night,  sending  as  usual  a  troop  of 
horse  to  reconnoitre  the  line  of  the  morrow's  route. 
The  troop  returned  with  the  report  that  only  a 
short  ride  distant,  and  in  direct  line  of  their  route, 
was  a  stronghold,1  the  most  formidable  yet  seen  in 
the  country,  filled  with  warriors,  ferocious  looking 
men,  in  war  feathers  and  paint,  with  their  bodies 
striped  red,  black,  white,  and  yellow,  and  their  eyes 
circled  with  rings  of  red,  which  made  them  look 
like  devils.  As  soon  as  they  saw  the  Spaniards, 
they  beat  their  drums  and  with  a  great  cry  came 
out  of  the  fort  to  meet  them  ;  but  the  troop  re 
treated.  The  Adelantado  at  once  went  himself  on 
a  reconnoissance,  and  returning  to  camp  said  to  his 
officers  and  cavaliers :  "  Before  night  we  must  drive 
the  savages  out  of  that  fort ;  for  after  their  past 

1  This  fort  of  the  Alibamo  has  been  located  by  Indian  tradition  upon  the  Yazoo 
River  in  Tallahatchie  County,  Mississippi.  The  Alibamo  Indians  belong  to  the 
Chickasaw  tribe. 


In  the  Chickasaw  Country  193 

success,  they  are  so  little  afraid  of  us  that  they  are 
not  going  to  let  us  leave  their  country  without  a 
fight,  and  if  we  do  not  punish  them,  they  will  come 
out  and  punish  us  to-night."  Officers  and  cavaliers, 
burning  for  revenge  for  their  sufferings  during  the 
winter,  heartily  agreed  to  this  ;  and  various  com 
panies  were  at  once  ordered  forward,  a  third  of  the 
army  being  left  behind  to  guard  the  camp. 

The  fort,  about  two  hundred  paces  square,  was 
without  doubt  a  strong  one  —  a  palisade  of  the 
stoutest  logs  driven  so  close  together  in  the  ground 
that  they  overlapped.  Inside,  two  other  palisades 
crossed  from  wall  to  wall.  The  entrance  was  through 
three  small  doors,  one  in  the  centre,  the  other  two 
close  to  the  corners,  but  so  low  that  a  man  on  horse 
back  could  not  pass  through.  Almost  underneath 
the  rear  wall,  ran  a  narrow  and  very  deep  stream 
with  high,  sheer  banks,  most  difficult  for  a  man  to 
climb,  and  utterly  impassable  for  horses.  The  only 
bridge  over  it  was  a  frail,  narrow,  swinging  foot- 
log,  anything  but  easy  to  cross. 

The  Adelantado,  after  studying  the  situation, 
ordered  one  hundred  of  the  best-armoured  cava 
liers  to  dismount,  and  forming  in  three  columns 
of  three  abreast,  to  assault  the  doors ;  the  footmen, 
advancing  behind  and  under  their  protection,  were 
to  support  them  and  hold  the  doors  after  they 
were  gained.  He  and  Andreas  de  Vasconselas, 
with  a  troop  of  horse  stationed  on  each  side,  were  to 
charge  when  the  proper  moment  came.  The  order 
was  no  sooner  given  than  obeyed  ;  and  the  three  col- 


194  Hernando  de  Soto 

umns  were  formed.  The  Indians,  who  up  to  this 
time  had  remained  close  within  their  walls,  seeing  the 
Spaniards  ready  to  attack,  now  sallied  forth,  about 
a  hundred  men  from  each  doorway,  and  with  all 
dash  and  daring  attacked  the  advancing  columns  of 
Spaniards.  At  their  first  discharge  of  arrows,  two 
cavaliers  in  the  front  rank  of  one  column  fell,  and 
one  in  each  of  the  other  columns.  And  after  that, 
volley  upon  volley  was  shot,  and  men  dropped  out 
of  their  columns  everywhere.  The  Spaniards,  giving 
a  loud  shout  to  one  another  to  close  at  once,  broke 
into  a  furious  charge  upon  the  gates.  At  the  same 
time  the  Adelantado  and  Andreas  de  Vasconselas 
charged  from  the  sides  with  their  troops  of  horse, 
and  the  Indians  were  driven  back.  The  gates  being 
too  narrow  to  let  them  through,  they  were  jammed 
and  crushed  and  crowded  against  the  walls,  and  cut 
down  by  the  Spaniards,  who  leaped  over  their  bodies 
and  got  inside  the  fort.  Here  was  the  entire  force 
of  the  Indians,  and  here  were  the  same  small  door 
ways,  and,  as  before,  the  Indians  blocked  them. 
When  the  Spaniards  saw  the  Chickasaws  penned  in 
thus,  all  their  hatred,  from  the  incessant  warfare, 
anxiety,  sufferings,  and  cruelty  of  the  winter  rose 
in  relentless  fury  within  them,  and  their  swords 
opened  flood-gates  of  blood  in  the  naked  mass  of 
bodies  before  them.  It  was  the  same  against  the 
other  wall,  in  the  second  enclosure  :  it  was  carnage, 
not  killing.  Some  of  the  warriors,  sore  pressed, 
leaped  from  the  palisade  into  the  plain,  only  to  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  troopers  outside.  Those  who 


In  the  Chickasaw  Country  195 

could,  got  through  the  rear  gates  to  the  river,  but 
the  light  foot-bridge,  crowded  with  the  confused 
mass,  swayed  and  bent  under  them,  and  numbers 
fell,  their  bodies  writhing  and  twisting  through  the 
air,  into  the  river  far  below.  Those  who  could  not 
get  to  the  bridge  threw  themselves  into  the  river 
and  swam  across.  On  the  other  side  of  the  river, 
reforming  and  ranging  themselves  in  battle  array, 
they  still  defiantly  faced  the  Spaniards.  De  Soto 
with  the  two  troops  of  horsemen  rode  up  and  down 
the  bank  looking  for  a  ford,  and  the  infantry  drew 
up  in  a  line  facing  the  Indians. 

While  thus  waiting  and  watching  each  other,  a 
warrior  stepped  out  from  the  ranks  of  his  people 
and,  calling  over  to  the  Spaniards  by  sign,  chal 
lenged  a  crossbowman  to  come  out  and  try  skill 
with  him.  A  hidalgo  of  Asturia  accepted,  and  walk 
ing  out  upon  the  bank,  took  his  position,  placed  a 
shaft  in  his  bow,  and  bending  his  head  sideways, 
crossbowman  style,  aimed  at  the  Indian;  the  Indian, 
straight  and  erect,  aimed  at  him.  Both  drew  string 
at  the  same  instant.  The  Indian  tottered  and  fell 
dead,  hit  full  and  fair  in  the  breast.  The  Spaniard 
walked  away,  with  the  arrow  sticking  like  a  needle 
through  the  nape  of  his  neck,  which  he  had  exposed 
in  bending  his  head. 

The  Adelantado,  finding  a  ford,  crossed  the  river 
with  his  horse  and  fell  again  upon  the  Indians, 
and  put  them  to  flight,  pursuing  and  lancing  them 
until  night  fell  and  darkness  opened  a  refuge  to 
them.  As  he  had  ordered,  the  fort  was  taken,  rind 


196  Hernando  de  Soto 

the  Chickasaws  were  punished ;  two  thousand  of 
them,  at  least,  were  killed  in  it.  But  not  without 
cost ;  for,  although  it  is  not  stated  how  many  Span 
iards  were  killed,  yet  so  many  were  wounded  that 
the  army  was  forced  to  halt  for  four  days  on  this 
account ;  and  fifteen  men  died  in  camp  and  during 
the  first  days  of  the  march. 


CHAPTER   XVII 

THE    GREAT    RIVER 

STIFF  and  sore,  the  Spaniards  crossed  the  river 
and  drew  out  of  the  Chickasaw  country,  cursing 
it  as  cordially  as  they  had  done  that  of  Tusca- 
loosa.  Beyond  lay  a  vast  wilderness  of  forest  and 
swamp,  the  neutral  territory  between  the  Chicka- 
saws  and  the  next  tribe.  Always  heading  away 
from  the  sea-shore,  De  Soto  led  his  men  into  this 
wilderness,  almost  impassable  even  for  the  horses, 
which  had  to  swim  across  a  great  bayou  and  lake. 
Seven  days  it  took  them  to  get  through,  and  when 
they  came  out  to  high  land  again  and  clear  forest, 
they  saw  just  before  them  a  village,  and  as  soon 
as  they  saw  it,  breaking  through  all  order  and  disci 
pline,  they  rushed  forward  and  captured  it,  with 
every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  it,  plundering  the 
cabins  of  everything  they  could  find.  It  was  the  vil 
lage  of  Chisca,1  whose  people,  on  account  of  the 
extensive  forest  lying  between  them  and  the  other 
province,  had  heard  nothing  of  the  march  of  the 
Spaniards  through  the  land;  they  knew  nothing  of  the 

1  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  Chisca  is  only  a  variation  in  the  Spanish 
spelling  of  Chicasa,  i.e.  Chickasaw,  and  that  the  Spaniards,  although  they  were 
rejoicing  at  being  out  of  it,  were  still  in  the  country  of  the  Chickasaws. 

197 


Hernando  de  Soto 

Spaniards,  in  fact,  until  they  saw  them  breaking  into 
the  village.  Only  the  dwelling  of  the  chief  escaped 
capture.  It  stood  outside  the  village  on  a  very 
high  mound,  which  was  walled  like  a  fortress,  hav 
ing  no  way  of  ingress  or  egress  save  tall  ladders. 
To  this  place  some  of  the  Indians  fled  for  refuge. 

The  chief  Chisca  lay  in  his  bed,  for  he  was  very 
old  and  infirm.  When  he  heard  the  noise  and 
confusion  below  in  his  village,  he  arose,  and  com 
ing  out  in  front  of  his  cabin,  saw  what  was  going 
on  :  the  place  being  sacked  and  plundered  and  his 
people  captured.  Wild  with  rage,  he  seized  a 
hatchet  and  started  down  the  ladder,  with  fierce 
threats  against  each  and  all  who  came  into  his 
village  without  permission  —  the  threats  of  his 
long-past  youthful  warrior  days,  for  the  poor  old 
frame  had  not  strength  now  to  kill  a  cat ;  and 
besides  being  ill  and  decrepit  from  age,  the  chief 
was  so  small  and  puny  that  the  Spaniards  held  him 
ever  to  be  the  most  insignificant  looking  of  all  the 
Indians  they  saw  in  Florida.  His  women  and 
servants  threw  themselves  upon  him  and  with  tears 
and  prayers  held  him  back,  while  the  Indians  who 
had  fled  from  the  village  told  him  that  the  new 
comers  were  men  such  as  none  of  them  had  ever 
seen  the  like  of  before ;  that  there  were  great  num 
bers  of  them,  and  they  were  borne  along  upon 
great  animals  that  ran  most  swiftly.  If  the  chief 
wanted  to  fight,  they  said,  he  must  remember  he  was 
taken  off  his  guard  and  unprepared,  and  to  revenge 
such  an  insult,  he  must  call  out  all  the  people  in 


The  Great  River  199 

the  province  and  bide  his  time  and  opportunity, 
feigning  the  while  friendship  with  the  enemy,  and 
making  the  best  of  what  had  happened  until  the 
time  for  vengeance  came ;  to  rush  into  a  fight  now 
would  bring  greater  risk  and  insult  to  himself  and 
damage  to  his  people.  But,  reason  as  they  might, 
it  was  a  long  time  before  they  could  dissuade  their 
old  chief  from  going  down  the  ladder  to  fight  the 
Spaniards.  And  his  temper  was  such,  that,  when 
the  Adelantado  sent  a  message,  offering  him  peace 
and  friendship,  he  would  not  listen  to  it,  saying  that 
he  wished  no  messages  from  one  who  insulted  him, 
but  war,  and  a  war  of  fire  and  blood ;  and  this  war 
he  declared  against  the  Spaniards  at  once,  so  that 
they  could  be  prepared,  for  he  meant  to  slaughter 
them  all,  and  that  soon. 

De  Soto  and  his  officers  and  soldiers  during  the 
past  winter  had  been  rather  surfeited  with  fighting, 
and  now,  with  numbers  of  men  and  horses  still 
wounded  and  suffering  from  their  last  engagement, 
they  had  no  inclination  whatever  for  more  of  it. 
Embarrassed  and  vexed  at  having  so  recklessly 
sacked  and  plundered  the  village  and  angered  the 
chief,  they  sent  other  and  more  and  more  urgent 
messages  to  him,  using  all  the  prettiest  words  and 
the  politest  and  most  suave  phrases  they  knew. 
For  they  saw,  with  anxiety,  that,  in  the  three  short 
hours  they  had  been  in  the  village,  great  numbers 
of  warriors  had  rallied  round  the  old  chief,  and 
they  feared  that  greater  numbers  still  would  soon 
arrive  to  increase  his  already  preponderating  force. 


2OO  Hernando  de  Soto 

And  they  saw,  too,  that  the  position  of  the  village 
was  favourable  to  the  Indians  but  very  bad  and 
unfavourable  to  themselves ;  the  ground  being  filled 
with  trees  and  cut  up  with  bayous,  which  would 
prevent  their  using  their  horses,  a  very  necessary 
advantage  to  them  now  over  the  Indians.  But 
what  finally  was  of  the  greatest  weight  with  them 
—  and  they  had  proved  it  well  by  their  experience 
in  the  past  —  was  the  fact  that  wars  and  battles  did 
not  advance  them  a  whit,  but,  on  the  contrary,  the 
Indians  killing  ofT  their  men  and  horses  were  slowly 
and  surely  consuming  their  strength  day  by  day. 
All  of  which  made  them  want  peace  and  want  it 
heartily. 

The  Indians,  on  the  other  hand,  seeing  their 
strengthening  numbers,  and  smarting  under  the  capt 
ure  of  their  women  and  children,  wanted  war,  and 
would  accept  nothing  but  war,  as  the  shortest  and 
best  way  of  obtaining  restitution  for  their  loss. 
However,  there  is  always  a  proportion  of  prudent, 
even  among  the  most  daring  warriors.  These  began 
to  suggest  that  the  peace  and  friendship  offered  by 
the  Spaniards  be  accepted,  as  in  that  way,  much  more 
surely  than  by  war,  could  the  captured  wives  and 
children  and  lost  property  be  recovered  and  such 
further  damage  prevented,  as  having  their  village 
burned  and  their  fields  destroyed  when  the  time  for 
planting  was  so  near.  What  need,  said  they,  to 
prove  by  trial  the  valour  of  the  Spaniards?  Their 
own  senses  told  them  very  clearly  what  sort  of  men 
they  were ;  for  men  who  could  pass  through  so 


The  Great  River  201 

much  country  and  so  many  enemies  could  not  be 
other  than  the  very  bravest,  whose  peace  would  be 
far  more  profitable  than  their  wars. 

After  much  talking  this  counsel  finally  prevailed, 
the  chief  accepting  it  and  guarding  his  wrath  until 
the  hoped-for  future  opportunity  should  arrive. 
He  therefore  replied  to  the  waiting  messenger  of 
the  Adelantado  that,  first  of  all,  the  Spaniards  must 
tell  him  what  they  required.  The  answer  was  that 
the  Spaniards  required  nothing  more  than  to  have 
the  village  vacated  and  given  to  them  for  lodging, 
and,  as  no  man  had  a  dispensation  from  hunger, 
the  necessary  food,  which  would  be  little,  for  they 
were  on  the  march  and  could  not  stay  long  in  that 
territory.  The  old  chief  said  he  would  be  willing 
to  grant  this,  but  only  and  solely  on  condition  that 
his  captured  people  should  be  freed  at  once,  and 
that  all  property  taken  should  be  restored  without 
so  much  as  an  earthen  pot  missing ;  and  that  if  the 
Spaniards  did  not  accept  these  terms,  he  defied  them 
to  battle  then  and  at  once. 

The  Spaniards  accepted ;  the  captives  were  set 
free  and  the  plunder  restored,  not  even  an  earthen 
pot,  as  the  chief  said,  missing.  The  Indians  then 
vacated  the  village,  leaving  the  provisions  in  it. 
The  sick  and  wounded  were  in  such  dire  need  of 
rest  and  refreshment  that  the  army  remained  there 
six  days.  On  the  day  before  his  departure,  with 
the  permission  of  the  old  chief,  whose  ire  had 
somewhat  abated,  De  Soto  climbed  up  the  mound 
to  present  his  respects  and  thanks  to  him. 


2O2  Hernando  de  Soto 

Marching  from  the  village,  and  just  outside  of  it, 
the  Spaniards  came  to  the  greatest  river  they  had 
ever  seen,  the  Mississippi.1  A  half  league  broad 
it  was,  as  they  described  it ;  "  and  if  a  man  stood 
still  on  the  other  side,  it  could  not  be  discovered 
whether  he  were  a  man  or  not ;  and  it  was  of 
mighty  depth  and  current,  and  the  water  was 
muddy,  and  brought  along  down  stream  continually 
great  trees  and  timbers/'  The  Indians  called  it  the 
Chicagua  River ;  but  the  Spaniards  called  it  in  their 
accounts  nothing  but  El  Rio  Grande  —  the  Great 
River.  They  marched  along  the  bank  until,  at  the 
end  of  the  fourth  day,  they  came  to  a  place  where  it 
was  open  enough  to  permit  the  army  to  get  to  the 
water,  for  hitherto  it  was  not  only  covered  by  a  for 
est  of  the  deepest  and  densest  kind,  but  it  was  so 
steep  and  high  that  there  was  no  way  of  getting 
either  up  or  down.  Finding  an  open  field  for  a 
camp  about  a  crossbow  shot  distant  from  it,  the 
Adelantado  halted  to  build  boats.  The  great  river, 
instead  of  stopping  him,  tempted  him  to  cross  and 
push  his  discoveries  on  the  other  side  ;  moreover, 
in  Chisca  the  Indians  told  of  gold  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river;  and  of  a  great  and  rich  province  called 
Capaha,  lying  over  there. 

The  forest  furnished  the  best  of  timber,  and  the 
villages,  corn  :  and  the  work  was  commenced  forth 
with  and  pushed  along  briskly.  Simultaneously 

1  They  were  at  what  is  now  known  as  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  32°  N.,  having  in 
their  march  wound  their  way  over  Florida,  Georgia,  part  of  South  Carolina,  Ala 
bama,  Mississippi,  Louisiana,  and  Tennessee. 


The  Great  River  203 

with  the  Spaniards  on  one  bank,  appeared  Indians 
on  the  other ;  a  great  gathering  they  seemed  across 
the  water,  and  provided  with  an  innumerable  quan 
tity  of  canoes.  Soon  deputations  began  to  arrive 
from  them  and  from  the  chiefs  round  about,  spying 
with  eager  curiosity,  under  feigned  indifference. 
One  day  six  Indians  from  the  river  below  presented 
themselves,  who  said  they  came  to  see  what  manner 
of  people  the  Spaniards  were;  for  long  ago  they  had 
been  told  by  their  fathers  that  a  white  people  should 
come  and  subdue  them  ;  another  day,  warriors  came 
to  announce  the  visit  of  a  great  chief,  named  Aquixo, 
chief  of  many  towns  and  tribes  on  the  other  side  of 
the  river.  And,  as  announced,  Aquixo  was  seen  ap 
proaching  with  a  flotilla  of  at  least  two  hundred 
canoes,  each  with  a  file  of  Indians  in  war-paint  and 
great  war-plumes,  with  bows  and  quivers,  and  with 
shields  in  their  hands,  standing  from  stem  to  stern. 
The  canoe  of  the  chief  had  a  canopy  under  which  he 
sat.  Paddling  at  full  speed,  they  came  swirling  to 
within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  bank,  when  the  chief 
called  out  a  greeting  to  the  Adelantado,  who  was 
standing  there  with  his  officers.  The  Adelantado 
called  to  him  to  come  on  shore,  that  they  might  the 
better  talk  together.  The  chief  sent  three  canoes 
ashore  with  a  present  of  a  great  quantity  of  dried  fish 
and  a  bread  which  the  Spaniards  describe  as  made  of 
prunes  (the  toothsome  persimmon  bread  of  the  old- 
time  southern  pioneer).  But  the  demonstrations 
turned  out  to  be  a  piece  of  Indian  treachery,  the 
real  purpose  being  to  attack  if  possible ;  for,  when 


204  Hernando  de   Soto 

the  Indians  saw  that  the  Spaniards  were  prepared  — 
the  Adelantado  had  drawn  up  his  whole  army  in 
sight  —  they  began  to  go  away  again.  The  cross- 
bowmen,  with  a  loud  shout,  sent  a  volley  after  them. 
The  Spaniards  gazed  after  them  with  admiration, 
for  they  retired  in  such  perfect  order;  and  the 
canoes  were  so  symmetrical  and  graceful,  the 
plumed  warriors,  with  their  bows  and  bright  quivers, 
so  erect,  they  seemed  more  like  a  festival  pageant 
than  a  savage  fleet. 

By  the  end  of  three  weeks  four  boats  were  fin 
ished  and  in  the  water.  Three  hours  before  day, 
one  morning,  the  Adelantado  embarked  his  first 
detachment ;  horsemen,  crossbowmen,  and  rowers, 
selected  by  himself  as  men  who  would  make  sure 
of  the  passage  or  die.  They  rowed  a  quarter  of 
a  league  up  the  river,  and  then  crossing  over,  fell 
down  with  the  current  opposite  the  camp.  The 
horsemen  leaped  out  of  the  barges  on  horseback  and 
forded  to  a  sandy  plat  of  hard,  clean  ground,  where 
all  the  men  landed  without  difficulty  or  opposition. 
The  barges  returned  at  once  for  another  load,  and 
within  two  hours  after  sunrise,  the  entire  army  with 
the  baggage  was  over. 

Stopping  only  long  enough  to  break  up  the  boats 
so  as  to  save  the  nails  and  fastenings,  they  resumed 
their  march.  They  journeyed  five  days  up  the  river, 
through  a  savage,  uninhabited  stretch  of  country, 
and  then  came  to  some  high  hills,  from  the  tops  of 
which  could  be  seen  a  large  village  of  about  four 
hundred  cabins  on  the  bank  of  a  river  flowing 


The  Great  River  205 

towards  the  Great  River.  And  up  and  down,  the 
banks  of  the  river  were  dotted  with  cornfields  and 
groves  of  handsome  trees.  As  the  army  approached 
the  village  the  Indians  came  out  eagerly  to  offer 
peace,  and  later  on  warriors  came  to  De  Soto  from 
the  chief,  proffering  the  hospitality  of  his  village, 
the  principal  one  of  the  province,  called  Casquin 
(Kaskaskia).  The  Spaniards  found  it  on  the  same 
side  of  the  river  seven  leagues  higher  up.  The 
country  through  which  they  passed  going  to  it  was 
all  bountifully  fertile  and  well  populated ;  wherever 
the  eye  looked,  in  fact,  could  be  seen  no  less  than 
two  or  three  little  villages  of  from  fifteen  to  forty 
cabins.  The  chief,  called  Casquin  also,  a  handsome 
warrior  about  fifty  years  of  age,  with  a  large  follow 
ing  of  warriors,  met  the  army  on  the  road  and 
escorted  it  to  his  village.  The  Adelantado,  now 
anxiously  careful  to  avoid  any  infractions  of  peace, 
accepted  lodgings  only  for  himself  and  officers  in  it, 
quartering  the  army  in  a  grove  near  by,  where  the 
men  were  most  comfortable,  for  it  was  now  May, 
and  beginning  to  be  very  warm. 

Every  day  of  the  stay  in  Casquin,  the  Spaniards 
and  Indians  grew  better  pleased  with  one  another; 
and  one  morning  the  chief  and  several  of  his  war 
riors  presented  themselves  before  the  Adelantado, 
and  all  bowing  with  the  deepest  reverence,  Cas 
quin  spoke :  "  My  lord,  as  you  have  the  advantage 
over  us  in  force  and  arms,  so  we  believe  you  have 
the  advantage  over  us  in  gods.  These  that  you  see 
here  are  the  best  warriors  of  my  nation  ;  and  I,  with 


206  Hernando  de  Soto 

them,  beg  you  to  pray  your  gods  to  send  us  rain, 
for  our  cornfields  need  water  sadly."  The  Ade- 
lantado  answered  piously,  that,  although  he  and 
all  of  his  army  were  sinners,  they  would  pray  to 
their  Lord  God  to  show  his  favour  as  the  Indians 
asked ;  and  at  once,  in  the  presence  of  the  chief, 
sending  for  Master  Francisco,  a  Genoese,  and  a 
great  master  in  carpentry  and  boat  building,  he  com 
manded  him  straightway  to  make  a  cross  out  of  the 
tallest  and  finest  pine  tree  to  be  found  in  all  the 
surrounding  forest.  And  such  was  the  tree  to  which 
the  Indians  guided  the  builder,  and  which  the  Span 
iards  cut  down ;  for  after  clearing  and  stripping  it,  one 
hundred  men  could  not  raise  it  from  the  ground ; 
and  the  cross  that  Master  Francisco  made  of  it  was 
surely  a  grand  one  and  proportioned  in  all  perfec 
tion.  It  was  carried  to  the  top  of  a  tall  artificial 
mound  raised  on  the  bank  of  the  river  as  a  watch- 
tower,  and  there  it  was  set  up. 

A  solemn  procession  was  then  ordered  for  the  next 
day ;  and  it  was  worthy  the  cross.  All  the  army 
took  part  in  it,  except  a  squadron  of  cavalry  and 
infantry  stationed  on  guard ;  more  than  a  thousand 
men  there  were,  believers  and  unbelievers,  the  chief 
walking  by  the  side  of  the  Adelantado,  the  warriors 
by  the  side  of  the  cavaliers.  The  priests  and  friars 
went  first,  chanting  the  litany,  to  which  all  the  sol 
diers  chanted  the  responses.  With  slow  steps  they 
advanced  to  the  mound,  ascended  it,  and  falling  on 
their  knees  repeated  two  or  three  prayers.  Then, 
two  by  two  rising,  they  went  to  the  cross,  kneeled 


The  Great  River  207 

at  its  foot,  adored  and  kissed  it  —  the  priests  first, 
the  Adelantado  and  the  chief  following,  then  the 
cavaliers  and  warriors,  then  the  common  soldiers  and 
the  other  Indians,  who  did  exactly  what  they  saw  the 
Spaniards  do.  On  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  the 
Spaniards  could  see  a  great  mass  of  people  standing, 
watching,  stretching  and  waving  their  arms,  clasping 
their  hands,  raising  their  eyes  too,  praying  as  they 
saw  the  Christians  were  praying,  and  from  both  sides 
of  the  river  rose  the  wailing  of  the  Indian  women 
and  children.  The  Spaniards  were  much  affected  by 
the  sight;  the  colossal  cross, extending  its  wide  arms 
over  a  multitude  praying  out  of  their  dimness  and 
ignorance  to  a  God  they  knew  not,  seemed  to  them 
a  sign  to  their  church  such  as  the  rainbow  was  to 
the  faithful  after  the  Deluge.  The  procession  re 
turned  in  the  same  order  to  the  village,  all  chanting 
the  Te  Deum.  And  that  very  night,  a  little  before 
midnight,  it  began  to  rain ;  and  the  rain  lasted  two 
whole  days,  to  the  great  joy  of  the  Indians.  Some 
days  later  the  chief  and  his  warriors  came  again, 
bowing  reverently  before  the  Adelantado,  presenting 
now  two  blind  men,  and  praying  him  to  heal  their 
eyes ;  and  the  blind  ones  also  raising  their  voices, 
begged  earnestly  and  loudly  for  sight.  But  this 
time  only  a  long  theological  explanation  of  the 
Christian  religion  by  the  Adelantado  was  vouchsafed 
them. 

When  the  Adelantado  gave  orders  for  the  army 
to  prepare  to  take  up  its  march  upon  Capaha,  Cas- 
quin  insisted  upon  accompanying  it  with  a  great 


208  Hernando  de  Soto 

train  of  his  people  to  carry  the  provisions  and  clear 
the  road,  and  to  fetch  wood  and  water,  and  gather 
grass  and  green  food  for  the  horses  ;  for  the  army, 
he  said,  would  not  only  have  to  pass  through  an  ex 
tensive  neutral  forest,  but  also  have  to  cross  a  lake 
over  which  a  bridge  would  be  needed,  and  which  his 
men  could  make.  The  Spaniards  did  not  find  out 
until  later  that  the  Casquins  were  at  war,  as  their 
fathers,  forefathers,  and  ancestors  far  back  had  been, 
with  the  neighbouring  province  of  Capaha,1  and  that 
the  chief  of  Capaha,  a  noted  warrior,  had  so  over 
awed  and  subdued  the  people  of  Casquin  that  they 
dared  not  take  up  arms  for  any  purpose  for  fear  of 
offending  him,  and  thus  they  had  been  driven  into 
the  shame  of  never  going  outside  of  their  boundaries. 
But  now  Casquin,  the  chief,  saw  a  fine  opportunity, 
under  the  protection  of  a  foreign  power,  to  avenge 
himself  for  all  past  injuries.  So,  in  addition  to  the 
pack  bearers,  who  carried  their  bows  and  arrows  as 
well  as  their  packs,  he  collected  a  great  band  of  war 
riors  armed  to  the  teeth ;  and  with  great  pomp  and 
ceremony  he  put  himself  at  the  head  of  these  to  go 
in  advance,  he  said,  to  clear  the  road  and  prepare 
the  camp  for  the  Spaniards.  The  Adelantado  pru 
dently  kept  his  army  well  behind  them,  and  as  the 
two  armies  travelled  during  the  day,  so  they  camped 
at  night  with  a  safe  distance  intervening. 

At  the  end  of  three  days  the  army  came  to  a 
swamp  —  a  very  ugly  one  it  was,  as  the  Casquin 
chief  had  said,  with  a  great  lake  in  the  centre.  The 

1  The  Kappas  or  Quapaw  of  modern  accounts. 


The  Great   River  209 

foot-soldiers  and  pack  bearers  crossed  on  the  bridge 
that  the  Indians  made,  while  the  cavaliers  swam 
their  horses  over.  As  the  swamp  was  the  dividing 
line  between  the  territory  of  Capaha  and  Casquin, 
that  night  the  Casquin  warriors  camped  for  the  first 
time  in  their  lives  in  their  enemy's  country.  The 
village  of  Capaha  lay  within  easy  reach. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

CAPAHA 

CAPAHA,  the  chief,  was  looking  out  from  the 
porch  of  his  cabin  in  the  early  dawn.  His 
village,  built  on  a  mound  —  a  hill  in  height 
and  size  —  rose  finely  above  the  land.  Along  three 
sides  of  it  ran  a  deep  moat  or  ditch  wide  enough  for 
two  canoes  abreast  and  filled  with  water  which  came 
and  went  through  a  channel  dug  by  hand,  extend 
ing  to  the  Mississippi,  three  leagues  away.  On  its 
fourth  side,  the  mound  was  protected  by  a  strong 
palisade,  whose  timbers  were  driven  so  close  into 
the  earth  that  they  overlapped  one  another.  As 
the  chief,  securely  confident,  as  he  well  might  be, 
looked  about  him  in  the  brightening  light,  he  saw 
gliding  through  the  forest  the  dusky  figures  of  his 
enemies,  —  the  Casquins  were  upon  him.  He  had 
but  time  before  they  broke  from  the  forest  to  give 
the  alarm  and  jump  into  a  canoe  and  paddle  as  fast 
as  he  could  through  the  canal.  Such  of  his  warriors 
as  had  canoes  followed  him,  others  fled  into  the 
woods. 

The     Casquins,   finding    no    defence    attempted, 
stopped   in   their   rush,   and   crept  into  the  village 

210 


Capaha  211 

slowly  and  cautiously,  suspecting  an  ambush  or 
stratagem ;  although  they  had  the  Spaniards  behind 
them,  they  had  been  too  often  whipped  by  the  Ca- 
pahas  not  to  fear  them  still.  This  delay  gave  some 
of  the  women  and  children  time  to  escape ;  but  many 
were  unfortunate  enough  to  be  caught  in  the  village  ; 
for  when  the  Casquins  had  convinced  themselves 
that  there  were  indeed  none  to  oppose,  then  they  gave 
themselves  up  to  the  sweets  of  revenge  for  which 
they  had  lusted  for  generations.  They  killed  and 
scalped ;  they  destroyed,  sacked,  and  plundered  the 
chief's  house  with  especial  glee  and  delight ;  they 
went  to  the  temple  of  the  village,  the  sacred  burial- 
place  of  the  father,  grandfather,  and  ancestors  of  Ca 
paha,  leaping  and  calling  to  one  another  so  that  all 
might  enjoy  the  triumph ;  and  knowing  how  much 
Capaha,  proud  and  haughty  as  he  was,  would  feel  the 
desecration  and  sacrilege,  they  committed  in  the  tem 
ple  all  the  outrages  and  insults  they  could  think  of. 
They  robbed  it  of  everything  it  held  in  the  way  of 
treasures  and  ornaments,  of  spoil  and  trophy,  acquired 
mostly  through  past  victories  over  the  Casquins ; 
they  threw  the  burial-chests  upon  the  earth,  broke 
them  asunder,  scattered  the  bones,  and  not  even 
content  with  that,  they  trampled  upon  them  with 
all  kinds  of  revilement  and  contempt.  They  took 
down  the  heads  of  the  Casquins  which  the  men  of 
Capaha  had  stuck  on  poles  at  the  door,  and  replaced 
them  with  heads  cut  off  fresh  from  the  people  of 
Capaha.  In  short,  there  was  no  form  of  vengeance 
they  could  think  of  that  they  did  not  wreak  upon 


212  Hernando  de  Soto 

their  enemies,  except  burning  the  village ;  that  they 
did  not  dare  for  fear  of  the  Spaniards. 

The  Spaniards  had  not  yet  come  up,  and  the 
Casquins,  camping  and  marching  well  ahead  of  the 
army,  were  able  to  accomplish  all  this  before  they 
arrived.  When  the  Adelantado  came  in  sight  of 
the  village  and  heard  what  had  taken  place,  and  that 
the  chief  had  fled,  he  at  once  ordered  Casquin  to  stop 
the  deviltries  of  his  men,  and  he  sent  messengers  after 
Capaha  with  offers  of  peace  and  friendship.  But 
Capaha  would  not  receive  them.  On  the  contrary, 
he  made  his  way  to  an  island  he  possessed  in  the 
Mississippi,  summoning  his  warriors  far  and  near 
to  him,  and  the  messengers  found  him  busy  fortify 
ing  it.  When  this  was  told  the  Adelantado,  he  de 
termined  to  forestall  attack  by  attacking;  and  he 
commanded  Indians  and  Spaniards  to  prepare  at 
once  for  an  expedition  against  the  island.  Casquin, 
seeing  before  him  now  nothing  less  than  the  com 
plete  destruction  of  the  Capahas,  threw  himself  with 
all  energy  into  the  preparations  for  it.  He  sent  in 
all  haste  to  his  village  to  fetch  canoes  up  the  Mis 
sissippi  to  a  landing-place  opposite  the  island,  and 
he  at  once  started  off  himself  with  his  warriors  to 
meet  them  there,  ravaging,  wasting,  and  destroying 
as  he  went,  and  setting  free  his  people  captured  of 
yore  by  the  Capahas,  wherever  he  found  them  work 
ing  in  the  cornfields  —  slaves,  with  the  tendons  of 
one  foot  cut  to  lame  them. 

When  De  Soto  with  his  men  arrived  at  the 
landing-place,  he  found  seventy  canoes  awaiting 


Capaha  213 

him.  He  found  also  that  Capaha's  island  was  an 
impassable  growth  of  cane-brake  and  thicket,  and 
that  the  chief  had  fortified  it  from  end  to  end  by 
palisades  behind  which  he  stood  ready  and  waiting 
with  his  best  tried  warriors,  the  very  flower  of  his 
fine  tribe.  The  attack  was  immediately  begun,  De 
Soto  setting  out  in  the  lead  with  two  hundred  of 
his  men,  Casquin  and  his  men  following  in  the  rest 
of  the  flotilla. 

In  one  of  the  foremost  Spanish  canoes  crossing 
the  river  was  a  handsome  young  fellow,  Francisco 
Sebastian,  who,  overflowing  with  gayety  and  good 
spirits,  was  always  the  life  of  any  party  he  hap 
pened  to  be  in ;  and  now  as  ever,  always  talking,  he 
was  entertaining  his  comrades  and  keeping  them  in 
a  laugh  over  his  drolleries.  "  The  devil  himself  it 
was,"  he  was  saying,  "  and  no  one  else,  that  brought 
me  into  this  scrape  of  a  conquest.  For  God,  He 
dropped  me  into  a  good  enough  country,  I  can  tell 
you,  —  Italy,  where,  by  the  polite  custom  of  lan 
guage,  I  was  c  My-lorded,'  and  bowed  down  to,  and 
smiled  upon  as  if  I  were  a  real  lord  with  vassals 
under  me ;  and  you,  rude  boors  that  you  are,  you 
never  think  of  using  anything  else  but  f  thou '  to 
me  and  treat  me  like  one  of  yourselves.  There, 
like  the  beautiful  people  they  are,  they  feasted  me, 
and  succoured  me  in  my  wants,  as  if  I  were  every 
young  girl's  sweetheart,  every  old  woman's  son. 
That  was  in  peace.  In  war,  it  was  still  finer;  for, 
if  I  happened  to  kill  a  man,  —  Turk,  Moor,  or 
Frenchman,  —  I  had  him,  I  could  strip  him  of 


214  Hernando  de  Soto 

his  armour,  his  clothes,  his  horse,  and  so  he  was 
always  worth  something  to  me.  Here  in  this  devil's 
own  country,  what  have  I  got  to  fight?  Naked, 
indecent  creatures,  who  go  skipping  and  hopping 
and  dancing  and  capering  before  and  around  me, 
always  ten  paces  off,  shooting  their  arrows  at  me 
with  all  the  grace  and  skill  in  the  world,  as  if  I  were 
a  piece  of  game  or  a  pretty  target,  and  if  by  good 
luck  I  do  catch  and  kill  one  of  them,  what  is  there 
to  strip  him  of?  A  bow  and  some  feathers.  Much 
use  I  can  make  of  them.  But  what  I  feel  most  of 
all  is  that  the  famous  fortune-teller  and  astrologer, 
Lucero  of  Italy,  once  told  me  to  be  careful  about 
going  upon  the  water,  because  I  was  going  to  die  by 
drowning  and  I  have  avoided  water  ever  since ;  and 
now  just  see!  my  ill  luck  has  sent  me  to  a  country 
where  we  are  never  out  of  the  water."  The  canoe  had 
come  within  jumping  distance  of  the  island.  Fran 
cisco,  always  the  first  daredevil  in  every  adventure, 
quickly  got  up,  and  putting  his  lance  overboard  and 
bracing  it  in  the  river-bed  he  leaped,  but  instead  of 
reaching  land,  he  pushed  the  boat  back  and  fell  into 
the  water,  where  his  armour  sinking  him  like  a  stone 
to  the  bottom,  he  helplessly  drowned. 

The  Spaniards,  attacking  with  their  accustomed 
spirit  and  courage,  gained  the  first  palisade  and 
drove  the  Indians  behind  the  second.  But  there 
the  Capahas  were  fighting  with  their  chief;  and 
knowing  the  peril  they  were  in,  and  that,  if  they 
did  not  then  and  there  conquer  the  Casquins  they 
would  lose  all  the  honour  and  glory  of  their  past 


Capaha  215 

victories,  and  burning  also  with  shame  at  having 
fled  from  the  Casquins,  they  fought  with  such 
might  that  they  held  the  Spaniards  at  bay,  and 
neither  they  nor  their  Indian  allies  advanced  a  step. 
When  they  saw  this,  the  men  of  Capaha  could  not 
restrain  themselves,  but  in  fierce  exultation  they 
called  out  to  the  Casquin  men  :  "  Come  on,  cowards, 
come  on  !  and  take  us ;  you  have  taken  our  village, 
come  and  take  us.  But  think  of  the  time  when 
these  strangers  go  away  and  leave  you  to  us !  Then 
we  will  show  you  !  "  These  words  were  enough  for 
the  Casquin  men  :  whipped  and  cowed  people  that 
they  were,  they  not  only  stopped  fighting,  but, 
losing  all  courage,  turned  their  backs  and  fled  to 
their  canoes  without  any  respect  whatever  to  their 
chief  or  to  the  Spaniards  and  De  Soto,  who 
shouted  after  them  not  to  abandon  their  friends. 
Throwing  themselves  into  their  canoes,  they  pushed 
away  into  the  stream  and  made  for  the  opposite 
bank.  The  Spaniards,  left  to  face  the  overwhelming 
numbers  of  the  Indians,  were  themselves  forced  to 
retreat  towards  the  canoes,  the  Indians  pressing 
more  and  more  fiercely  upon  them.  Their  peril 
was  desperate.  But  the  Capaha  chief  by  a  brilliant 
stratagem  changed  all.  Throwing  himself  before 
his  warriors,  in  a  loud  voice  he  commanded  them 
not  to  injure  the  Christians,  but  to  let  them  go  free. 
And  well  it  was  for  the  Spaniards,  for  otherwise  the 
two  hundred  of  them  would  have  been  all  slaughtered. 
Early  the  next  morning,  Capaha  sent  messengers 
to  the  Spanish  camp  offering  peace  and  friendship, 


216  Hernando  de  Soto 

and  praying  De  Soto  not  to  allow  his  enemies 
to  work  any  more  damage  to  his  lands  ;  praying, 
also,  that  the  Spanish  general  would  return  to  the 
village  to  protect  it,  promising  to  visit  him  person 
ally  on  the  morrow.  The  Adelantado,  grateful  for 
the  magnanimity  of  the  day  before,  answered  that 
Capaha  could  come  whenever  he  chose ;  that  he 
would  always  be  well  received  by  the  Spaniards, 
and  that  no  further  damage  should  be  done  in  his 
lands.  Public  proclamation  was  made  that  neither 
Indians  nor  Spaniards  should  dare  commit  any  more 
injury  whatever  in  that  province,  and  the  Casquin 
warriors  and  pack  bearers  were  ordered  to  take 
themselves  without  delay  back  into  their  own  terri 
tory.  This  embassy  of  his  enemy  did  not  please 
Casquin  at  all,  nor  the  answer  of  the  Adelantado, 
for  he  saw  that  it  might  possibly  come  to  pass  that 
Capaha,  with  the  favour  and  assistance  of  the  Span 
iards,  would  turn  and  destroy  him  and  his  people. 
He  became  very  uneasy  and  would  not  leave  the 
Adelantado  a  moment ;  he  returned  to  the  village 
with  him  and  begged  to  stay  on  longer  with  the 
Spaniards.  He  and  a  few  of  his  warriors  were 
allowed  to  remain. 

The  next  day  Capaha  came  to  the  village  accom 
panied  by  a  hundred  splendid-looking  warriors  in 
their  handsomest  feathers  and  skin  mantles.  Before 
he  presented  himself  to  the  Adelantado,  he  went 
into  his  temple,  and  looking  upon  the  ruin  it  had 
suffered,  gathered  up  with  his  own  hands  from 
the  floor  the  bones  and  remains  of  his  ancestors, 


Capaha  217 

and  placed  them  in  the  chests.  He  then  went  to 
his  house  and  saw  what  had  been  done  there.  Then 
he  proceeded  to  the  quarters  of  the  Adelantado,  who 
received  him  with  great  compliments  and  distinction. 
The  chief  was  a  young  man,  not  more  than  twenty- 
six  years  of  age,  calm  and  self-possessed,  with  the 
manners  and  dignity  of  middle  age.  He  answered 
the  questions  put  to  him  by  the  Adelantado  and  the 
officers  with  great  courtesy,  patiently  waiting  until 
one  after  the  other  had  finished.  When  he  saw 
that  there  was  nothing  more  for  him  to  answer,  he 
turned  towards  Casquin,  who  was  standing  near  the 
Adelantado  listening  and  watching,  and  whom  he 
had  pretended  not  to  see  until  then.  Now  fixing 
him  with  his  eyes,  he  addressed  him  :  "  Be  content, 
Casquin,  for  you  have  enjoyed  what  you  have  never 
dreamed  of  nor  hoped  for  out  of  your  own  strength, 
your  revenge ;  and  give  thanks  for  it  to  these  stran 
gers.  But  they  will  go  away,  and  we  shall  be  here 
as  we  were  before.  Then,  Casquin,  pray  to  the  Sun 
and  Moon  to  help  you."  Before  Casquin  could 
answer,  the  Adelantado,  who  had  asked  the  inter 
pretation  of  what  Capaha  was  saying,  interposed,  and 
charged  upon  the  two  chiefs  the  necessity  of  peace, 
and  enforced  at  least  the  semblance  of  it  upon  them 
both,  until  the  hour  came  for  dinner. 

When  the  Adelantado  took  his  place  at  the 
head  of  the  board,  Casquin  took  his  seat  at  his 
right  hand  —  the  seat  that  he  had  occupied  since 
he  had  been  with  the  army.  Capaha  remained 
standing ;  and  looking  Casquin  full  in  the  face  said : 


2i 8  Hernando  de  Soto 

ct  You  know  very  well  that  place  is  mine,  Casquin ; 
and  for  many  reasons,  the  principal  of  which  is  that 
my  blood  is  more  illustrious,  my  chieftainship  more 
ancient,  and  my  territory  larger  than  yours,  and  for 
any  one  of  these  three  reasons  you  should  not  take 
it,  because,  in  virtue  of  every  one  of  them,  it  belongs 
to  me." 

The  Adelantado,  seeing  that  something  new  was 
happening,  asked  the  interpreters  again  what  Capaha 
was  saying ;  and  being  told,  he  spoke  to  him : 
"  Even  if  all  you  have  said  be  true,  it  is  only  just 
that  the  years  of  Casquin  should  be  respected,  and 
that  you,  who  are  a  youth,  should  honour  age  by 
yielding  him  the  superior  place ;  it  is  the  natural 
obligation  of  the  young  to  revere  the  old,  and  by 
doing  so  they  honour  themselves." 

"  Sir,"  Capaha  replied,  "  if  I  had  Casquin  in  my 
house  as  guest,  either  with  white  hairs  or  without, 
I  should  give  him  the  first  place  at  my  meals,  and 
would  do  him  all  the  honour,  besides,  that  I  could ; 
but  as  we  are  eating  with  strangers,  it  does  not  seem 
just  to  yield  my  place,  for  it  has  come  to  me  from 
my  forefathers,  and  if  I  should  do  so,  my  people 
and  my  warriors  would  hold  it  ill  of  me.  If  you 
wish  me  to  eat  with  you,  you  must  give  me  the 
place  at  your  right  hand  which  belongs  to  me,  other 
wise  I  shall  go  and  eat  with  my  warriors  ;  this  would 
be  more  honourable  for  me  and  more  satisfactory  to 
them  than  for  me  to  be  abased  below  the  station  in 
which  my  forefathers  left  me." 

Casquin,  who  on  the  one  hand  was  desirous  of 


Capaha  219 

placating  the  wrath  of  Capaha,  and  on  the  other, 
knew  that  all  he  said  was  true,  now  rose  from  his 
seat,  and  said  to  the  Adelantado :  "  Capaha  is  in  the 
right,  and  only  demands  what  is  just.  I  beg  you 
to  give  him  the  place  that  belongs  to  him ;  I  shall 
seat  myself  on  the  other  side,  for  at  your  table  any 
seat  is  honourable."  And  crossing  to  the  other  side, 
without  the  slightest  vexation,  he  seated  himself 
there  and  began  to  eat.  Capaha  took  his  seat,  and 
with  all  appearance  of  good  feeling,  also  began  his 
repast. 

The  army  remained  over  a  month  in  the  village, 
and  finding  there  great  quantities  of  skins  of  deer, 
bear,  and  wildcat,  the  soldiers  employed  their  time 
in  tailoring,  fashioning  them  into  clothing.  The 
large  furs  they  cut  into  coats,  cassocks,  and  gowns, 
lining  them  with  wildcat  skins.  The  deerskins 
furnished  jerkins,  shirts,  hose,  and  shoes.  Some 
bucklers  of  buffalo  skin  were  appropriated  as  breast 
plates  for  the  horses.  Food  was  abundant,  not  only 
corn  in  the  granaries  and  in  the  fields,  but  fish  in 
the  moat  and  canal ;  the  water  was  thick  with  them. 
The  soldiers  caught  them  with  lines  and  nets  found 
in  the  cabins ;  the  moat  itself  was,  in  fact,  a  weir, 
and  the  Spaniards  feasted  on  the  fish  they  caught. 
Most  of  the  fish  were  new  to  them.  As  they  de 
scribed  them  afterwards,  there  was  one  kind  they 
called  "  Bagres,"  which  had  great  prickles,  like  awls, 
along  the  gills  and  on  both  sides,  and  one-third 
of  its  length  was  head  ;  some  of  them  weighed  a 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  The  "  barbilles  "  was  a 


22O  Hernando  de  Soto 

little  delicate  red  and  grey  fish  with  a  long  snout ; 
and  another  fish  as  large  as  a  hog,  they  said,  had 
upper  and  lower  rows  of  teeth. 

But  the  great  necessity  of  the  army  now,  as  all 
along,  although  it  has  not  been  mentioned,  was  salt. 
The  soldiers  were  suffering  and  even  dying  for  it. 
Even  when  the  army  left  the  province  of  Coosa  and 
entered  Tuscaloosa,  the  provision  of  salt  had  begun 
to  grow  scarce,  and  shortly  afterwards  there  was  none 
at  all,  and  then  the  soldiers  began  to  sicken  and  to 
die  of  a  dreadful,  strange  death.  They  would  fall 
into  a  slow  fever,  and,  at  the  end  of  four  or  five 
days,  no  one  could  endure  the  odour  of  them  at 
forty  or  fifty  paces ;  they  stank,  says  the  chronicler, 
like  the  putrid  bodies  of  dead  cats  and  dogs.  And 
as  no  one  knew  then  what  was  the  matter,  they  per 
ished  without  any  remedy.  But  even  if  the  phy 
sician  had  had  medicine,  the  sick  could  not  have 
profited  by  it,  because,  when  the  fever  seized  them 
they  were  already  past  help,  turning  from  the  breast 
down  as  green  as  grass.  The  Indians  told  them  to 
burn  certain  herbs,  and  make  a  lye  from  the  ashes, 
and  to  use  it  as  they  did  salt  upon  the  food ;  but 
the  Spaniards  called  this  unclean,  and  indecent,  and 
said  it  was  beneath  their  quality  to  eat  as  the 
Indians  did.  These  were  the  ones,  the  chronicler 
says  tersely,  who  died,  and,  when  on  their  death 
beds  they  begged  for  the  lye,  it  was  too  late  to  do 
them  good.  And  then  in  their  fear  and  horror  the 
living  were  glad  enough  to  make  use  of  it.  More 
than  sixty  men  died  thus  during  one  year. 


Capaha  221 

The  Adelantado  made  continual  efforts  among 
the  Indians  to  find  out  where  salt  might  be  pro 
cured  but  always  in  vain.  By  good  luck  here  in 
the  Capaha  village  he  found  some  traders,  who, 
among  other  wares,  carried  salt  round  to  sell.  They 
got  their  salt,  they  said,  from  some  hills  where  it  was 
found  in  plenty  and  of  good  quality ;  thither 
they  offered  to  guide  the  Spaniards.  Two  soldiers 
joyfully  volunteered  to  go  to  the  place.  They  re 
turned  at  the  end  of  eleven  days,  worn  out  with 
fatigue  and  hunger,  having  travelled  for  a  week 
through  a  bare  region,  where  they  found  nothing  to 
eat  save  green  plums  and  corn-stalks.  But  they 
came  back  loaded  with  rock-salt,  bringing  also  some 
specimens  of  shining  copper,  which  they  took  for 
gold.  The  country  they  had  passed  through  was, 
they  said,  poor  and  sterile,  and  ill  populated ;  and 
the  Indians  had  told  them  that  towards  the  north  it 
was  worse  still,  for  the  climate  was  very  cold,  and 
few  Indians  lived  there  because  of  the  great  droves 
of  wild  beeves  which  destroyed  the  corn. 


CHAPTER   XIX 

IN    THE    WEST 

WHEN   asked   which   way  the   country  was 
most  inhabited,  the  Indians  all  answered, 
towards    the    south ;    that,    in    the    south 
was  a  great   province   and   plentiful   country  called 
Quiguate.     This,  with  the  discouraging   report  of 
the  salt  country,    decided  De  Soto    to   change   his 
line  of  march  and  to  return  to  the  Casquin  village, 
and  from  there  to  strike  out  in  another  direction. 

From  Casquin  the  army  marched  south  ;  not  as 
heretofore  towards  the  north  and  away  from  the  sea. 
Nine  days  it  followed  the  river  down  its  course 
through  a  rich  and  well-peopled  country,  and  came 
to  a  village  that  in  truth  was  the  largest  yet  seen 
in  Florida,  Quiguate,  the  village  from  which  the 
province  and  chief  took  their  name.  It  was  built 
in  three  sections  or  divisions,  one  of  which  alone 
sufficed  to  quarter  the  entire  army.  The  chief  and 
his  people  received  the  army  with  great  show  of 
friendliness ;  but,  two  nights  later,  all  disappeared, 
not  a  native  being  left  in  the  place.  Then,  perhaps 
fearing  damage  to  their  cornfields,  with  their  crops 
ready  to  gather,  a  few  days  afterwards  they  all  re- 

222 


In  the  West  223 

turned  during  the  night,  and  went  their  way  about 
the  village  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

During  the  halt  here,  one  night  about  midnight, 
the  sergeant  on  duty  came  to  the  Adelantado  to  say 
that  the  royal  treasurer,  Juan  Gaytan,  being  called  for 
his  round  of  patrol  duty  had  refused  to  go,  giving  as 
an  excuse  his  position  as  royal  treasurer.  The  Ade 
lantado  fell  into  great  anger.  Juan  Gaytan  was  not 
one  he  was  likely  to  forget  or  to  forgive.  And 
now  with  this  added  to  past  resentment,  he  sprang 
from  his  bed,  and  going  out  upon  the  porch  of  his 
quarters,  which  from  its  mound  dominated  the 
whole  place,  he  called  out  in  a  voice  that  everybody 
in  that  village  heard,  although  it  was  midnight : 
"  What  is  this,  soldiers  and  captains  ?  Are  the 
mutineers  still  among  you  who  in  Mauvila  plotted 
to  return  to  Spain  or  to  go  to  Mexico,  that,  with 
excuses  of  being  officers  of  the  royal  exchequer,  they 
refuse  to  take  the  watches  that  fall  to  them  ?  And 
why  did  you  want  to  return  to  Spain  ?  Had  you 
left  there  perhaps  ancestral  estates  and  titles  that 
you  want  to  get  back  to  and  enjoy  ?  And  why  did 
you  wish  to  go  to  Mexico  ?  To  show  the  vileness 
and  littleness  of  your  souls,  that  having  had  it  in 
your  power  to  become  lords  of  so  great  and  rich  a 
country  as  this,  you  held  it  better  in  your  pusilla 
nimity  and  cowardice  to  abandon  it,  to  fare  through 
life  living  in  others*  houses  and  eating  at  others' 
tables,  when  you  might  have  had  your  own  house 
and  your  own  good  table  to  offer  in  hospitality  to 
others !  What  honour  do  you  think  it  will  bring 


224  Hernando  de  Soto 

upon  you  when  this  is  known  ?  Shame  upon  you 
all !  And  know  that,  officer  of  the  royal  exchequer 
or  not  officer  of  the  royal  exchequer,  no  one  is  to 
presume  to  excuse  himself  from  duty,  no  matter 
who  he  be,  for  I  shall  cut  off  the  head  of  the  first 
man  that  does  so.  And  do  not  deceive  yourselves ; 
so  long  as  I  live,  no  one  leaves  this  land  until  it  is 
conquered  and  settled,  for  we  shall  conquer  and 
settle  it  or  die  in  the  attempt.  Therefore  do  your 
duty  and  leave  off  your  pretensions,  for  it  is  not 
the  time  for  them/'  These  words,  ringing  with  all 
the  bitter  disappointment  and  grief  of  his  heart,  be 
trayed  for  the  first  time  to  the  soldiers  the  cause  of 
the  perpetual  discontent  that  had  possessed  the 
Adelantado  since  he  left  Mauvila,  and  that  pos 
sessed  him  until  he  died.  Those  that  took  his 
words  to  themselves,  from  that  time  on  did  what 
they  were  ordered  to  do  without  murmuring,  for 
they  knew  that  the  Adelantado  was  not  a  man  to 
trifle  with,  and  particularly  after  he  had  declared 
himself  as  he  had  done. 

And  still  to  the  question  in  which  direction  the 
country  was  most  inhabited,  the  Indians  answered, 
"  Towards  the  south,  down  the  river,  there  are  great 
provinces,  ruled  by  great  chiefs."  Towards  the 
northwest  it  was  different,  they  said ;  all  they  knew 
of  there  was  a  mountainous  country  called  Caligoa. 
However,  De  Soto  and  his  officers,  consulting  to 
gether  upon  it,  decided  to  go  to  this  Caligoa,  for 
perhaps,  they  said,  the  mountains  would  make  a  dif 
ference  in  the  soil  and  that  gold  and  silver  might  be 


In  the  West  225 

found  there.  The  Indian  guides  led  the  army 
seven  days  through  the  thick  wilderness  of  a  forest, 
but  every  night  it  camped  by  some  lake  or  pond, 
so  filled  with  fish  that  the  Indians  killed  them  with 
cudgels,  the  slaves  in  their  chains  going  into  the 
water  first  to  trouble  it,  so  that  the  fish  would  come 
up  on  top.  Caligoa  was  found  upon  a  river  at  the 
foot  of  a  hill.  The  Indians,  who  knew  nothing  of 
the  Spaniards  or  their  march,  fled  at  sight  of  them 
in  terror,  leaping  into  the  river,  but  the  Spaniards, 
spreading  out  on  both  sides  of  the  stream,  captured 
a  great  many  of  them,  and  among  them  the  chief. 
By  his  command,  his  people  brought  the  Spaniards 
presents  of  deerskins  and  buffalo  hides. 

The  soil  of  Caligoa  was  so  rich  that  the  people 
every  year  cast  out  old  corn  to  find  room  for  the 
new,  and  the  Spaniards  found  that  the  beans  there 
were  better  even  than  those  of  Spain ;  the  pump 
kins  when  roasted  tasted,  they  said,  like  chestnuts. 
They  were  glad  enough  to  see  the  Indians  friendly 
and  peaceable,  because  they  had  heard  that  the  men 
of  these  parts  poisoned  their  arrows,  which  fright 
ened  them  very  much,  for  if,  they  said,  to  their 
fierceness,  courage,  and  skill  in  shooting  was  added 
poison,  what  should  they  do  ? 

These  Indians  also  said  that  further  north  it  was 
very  cold,  and  the  country  was  poor  and  thinly  in 
habited,  but  there  were  great  quantities  of  wild 
cattle  there ;  the  best  and  most  populous  country 
they  knew  was  Coyas,  towards  the  south.  The 
chief  of  Caligoa  furnished  a  guide  to  lead  the  army 


226  Hernando  de  Soto 

to  Coyas,  which  proved  to  be  a  five  days'  march  dis 
tant.  The  village  was  small,  and  the  cabins  dif 
ferent  from  any  yet  seen,  for  over  the  frames  were 
stretched  skins,  dyed  in  various  colours  and  with 
designs  drawn  upon  them;  skins  also  lay  on  the 
floors  like  carpets.  When  De  Soto  saw  that  the 
village  was  only  a  scattering  group  of  cabins,  he 
thought  that  the  guide  had  lied,  for  the  Indians  had 
all  said  Coyas  was  well  inhabited,  and  he  threatened 
the  chief,  charging  him  to  tell  the  name  of  the 
town  and  where  the  army  was.  But  he  and  all  the 
Indians  there  and  from  other  villages  swore  that 
the  village  was  Coyas,  and  the  largest  in  the  coun 
try,  explaining  that  though  the  cabins  were  strag 
gling,  there  were  many  of  them  and  they  were  well 
stored  with  corn  and  filled  with  people.  The  town 
was  also  called  Tanico,1  they  said,  from  the  river 
of  that  name  that  flowed  by  it. 

The  soldiers  walking  along  the  bank  of  the  river 
in  the  afternoon  happened  to  see,  in  a  little  tongue 
of  water,  a  bluish  kind  of  sand.  One  of  them,  tak 
ing  up  some,  tasted  it,  and,  finding  it  salty,  told  his 
companions  that  he  believed  they  could  make  salt 
petre  out  of  it,  for  powder  for  the  arquebuses. 
With  this  idea  they  gathered  up  a  quantity  of  it, 
threw  it  into  water,  rubbing  it  with  their  hands;  then 
straining  the  water,  they  put  it  to  boil.  The  water 
evaporated,  leaving  a  deposit  of  salt,  yellow  in  colour 

1  The  site  of  the  village  is  generally  supposed  to  have  been  at  the  hills  of  White 
River,  the  source  of  the  St.  Francis.  The  Tunica  Indians  were  afterwards  on  the 
Mississippi. 


In  the  West  227 

but  good  of  taste.  The  Adelantado  immediately 
ordered  a  supply  of  it  made  for  the  army.  It  was 
then  he  learned  that  the  village  was  one  of  the 
places  to  which  the  Indian  traders  came  regularly 
for  salt  to  sell.  They  gathered  the  deposit  in  wide- 
mouthed  baskets  ending  in  a  point,  made  by  the 
women  for  the  purpose ;  and  hanging  these  over  an 
empty  earthen  pot  placed  on  the  fire,  they  poured 
water  slowly  into  them,  the  water,  dripping  through 
upon  the  heated  pot,  evaporated,  leaving  a  crust  of 
salt. 

So  great  was  the  craze  of  the  soldiers  for  salt  that 
they  could  not  control  themselves  at  all,  but  ate  it 
by  the  handful  as  if  it  were  sugar,  answering  those 
who  chided :  "  Let  us  have  our  fill  of  salt  now,  for 
we  have  had  our  fill  of  hunger  for  it  long  enough." 
So  nine  or  ten  did  get  their  fill  of  it,  for  they  died 
of  it,  dying  of  the  surfeit  as  the  others  had  died  of 
the  hunger. 

The  army  rested  here  a  month,  the  horses  fatten 
ing  as  much  as  the  men  from  the  great  abundance 
of  corn  and  fodder ;  and  they  too,  in  their  eagerness 
for  salt,  drank  so  greedily  of  a  hot,  brackish  lake 
near  by  that  their  bodies  swelled  from  it.  The 
Indians  of  Coyas,  like  all  the  other  Indians  the 
Spaniards  met,  knew  of  a  better  country  that  lay 
beyond ;  the  province  of  Tula,  towards  the  south. 
The  chief  gave  a  guide  to  it,  but  no  interpreters ; 
for  his  ancestors,  he  said,  having  always  been  at 
war,  and  never  at  peace,  with  the  people  of  Tula, 
there  had  been  no  intercourse  between  them,  and 


228  Hernando  de  Soto 

they  did  not  understand  one  another's  language. 
And  so,  leaving  the  territory  called  "  La  Sal "  by 
the  soldiers,  the  army  set  out  for  Tula. 

After  four  days'  march  through  the  despoblado 
that  lay  between  the  two  provinces,  the  army  halted 
about  noon  in  a  beautiful  meadow  which  the  guide 
said  was  a  half  league  distant  from  the  Tula  village. 
The  Adelantado  rode  out  with  an  escort  of  horse 
to  have  a  look  at  it  that  afternoon.  They  found 
it  prettily  situated  in  a  meadow  between  two  rivers. 
The  inhabitants  were  taken  completely  by  surprise, 
but  at  sight  of  the  strangers,  they  gave  the  alarm  and 
rushed  out  like  hornets  to  meet  them,  the  women 
with  their  weapons  showing  the  same  fierce  and 
daring  spirit  as  the  men.  The  Spaniards  charged, 
but  they  held  firm ;  and,  both  sides  fighting  steadily, 
the  one  retreated  and  the  other  advanced  into  the 
village.  And  there  the  Spaniards  found  about  as 
much  work  as  they  could  do ;  for  their  opponents 
fought  without  fear  of  death,  and,  inferior  though 
they  were  in  arms  and  force,  they  would  not  sur 
render,  but  rather  let  themselves  be  killed,  the 
women  as  well  as  men.  To  get  out  of  the  way 
of  the  horses,  the  Indians  mounted  on  the  tops  of 
their  houses,  and  shot  their  arrows  down  upon  the 
assailants,  and  when  beaten  out  of  one  house  they 
would  run  to  another,  and  when  pursued  in  front, 
would  slip  round  and  come  back  to  attack  the 
Spaniards  in  the  rear. 

One  of  the  cavaliers,  dismounting,  charged  into 
a  cabin  and  ran  up  the  ladder  into  the  loft,  which, 


In  the  West  229 

as  in  all  Indian  cabins,  was  used  as  a  granary.  Here, 
he  found  five  Indian  women  cowering  in  a  corner. 
By  signs  he  told  them  that  he  did  not  wish  to 
harm  them.  When  they  saw  that  he  was  not 
followed  but  was  alone,  they  dropped  their  fear, 
and  rushing  upon  him  like  mastiffs  upon  a  bull,  and 
seizing  him  by  his  legs,  arms,  neck,  and  back,  they 
bit,  scratched,  slapped,  and  pummelled  him  with 
might  and  main.  He  would  not  use  his  weapon 
against  women,  and  was  kicking  and  striking  out 
with  his  fists,  when  suddenly  the  foot  he  was  stand 
ing  on  broke  through  the  flimsy  floor  and  his  leg 
sank  into  the  opening  up  to  the  thigh  ;  and  there  he 
was  caught  and  held  while  the  Indian  women  pounced 
upon  him  to  finish  their  task,  and  they  were  in  a  fine 
way  to  kill  him,  for  the  cavalier,  though  he  saw  his 
peril,  would  not  call  for  help  in  a  fight  with  women. 
At  the  moment  a  soldier  happened  to  enter  the  room 
beneath,  and,  hearing  the  noise  above,  he  looked  up 
and  saw  a  naked  leg  hanging,  without  shoe  or  hose. 
Thinking  it  belonged  to  some  Indian,  for  the  Span 
iards  had  gone  so  long  bare-legged  and  bare-footed 
their  skin  was  no  whiter  than  an  Indian's,  he  drew 
his  sword  to  cut  it  off  at  a  blow ;  but  just  in  time  a 
suspicion  struck  him  as  to  what  the  commotion 
above  meant.  Calling  quickly  to  some  companions 
to  follow,  he  ran  up  the  steps,  and  there  saw  the 
Indian  women  inflicting  their  inglorious  death  upon 
the  cavalier ;  and  the  Spaniards  were  forced  to  kill 
them  all,  for  not  a  woman  would  loose  her  hold 
upon  him. 


230  Hernando  de  Soto 

It  was  dark  before  the  Adelantado  could  sound 
the  recall  and  return  to  camp.  He  left  numbers 
of  Indians  killed  and  wounded  behind  him,  but 
as  some  of  his  own  men  were  pretty  badly  wounded, 
he  was  not  at  all  satisfied  with  the  events  of  the 
day,  and  his  cavaliers  owned  themselves  scandal 
ized,  as  they  called  it,  by  the  Indian  women.  The 
next  day  the  army  marched  upon  the  village  and, 
finding  it  deserted,  took  up  quarters  in  it.  Squad 
rons  of  horsemen  were  sent  out  in  all  directions 
to  find  out  if  the  Indians  were  assembling  for 
an  attack.  They  came  upon  a  few  Indians,  but  it 
was  impossible  to  capture  any.  As  soon  as  one 
was  overpowered  he  would  throw  himself  upon  the 
ground  with  gestures  of  "  Kill  me,  or  leave  me," 
and  though  jerked  and  pulled,  he  would  not  rise, 
but  would  let  himself  be  dragged  along ;  and  so  the 
Spaniards  were  obliged  to  kill  them  all.  In  the 
village  the  Spaniards  found  a  great  many  buffalo 
skins  whose  great  size  and  thick  hair  had  puzzled 
them  before.  The  buffalo  meat  they  supposed  was 
beef,  and  looking  in  vain  for  cattle  in  the  fields  they 
could  not  understand  where  it  came  from. 

The  Indians  of  Tula  differed  from  all  other 
Indians  the  Spaniards  had  ever  met.  As  has  been 
said,  the  others  were  all  handsome  and  well  feat 
ured  ;  these,  however,  women  as  well  as  men,  had 
ugly,  tattooed  faces,  and  hideously  long,  narrow 
heads,  deformed  artificially  by  bandages  fastened 
on  at  birth  and  kept  on  until  the  ninth  or  tenth 
year.  Their  faces  were  tattooed  even  to  the  inside 


In  the  West  231 

of  their  lips,  as  the  Spaniards  said,  to  match  their 
ugly  hearts. 

On  the  fourth  day  after  the  Spaniards  took  up 
their  quarters  in  the  village,  just  before  dawn,  they 
were  attacked  in  three  different  places  at  once,  the 
Indians  breaking  into  the  camp  so  suddenly  and  in 
such  overwhelming  force  and  fury  that  some  of  the 
soldiers  had  not  time  to  get  their  weapons,  but  were 
forced  to  fly  for  their  lives,  leaving  what  little  pos 
sessions  they  had  to  be  plundered.  Desperate  with 
the  wild  outcry  and  confusion,  and  the  obscurity  of 
the  night  which  prevented  them  from  distinguishing 
friend  from  foe,  the  Spaniards  called  out  to  one 
another  their  battle-cry,  "  Our  Lady  and  Santiago !" 
The  Indians  answered  at  once  with  "  Tula  !  Tula  ! " 
and  the  sound  of  their  own  names  seemed  to  act 
upon  their  fierce  passion  like  the  dashing  of  spirits 
upon  fire.  The  sun  was  just  rising  when  they 
withdrew,  and  the  Spaniards  did  not  attempt  to  pur 
sue  them. 

Instead  of  their  usual  bows  and  arrows,  that  night 
many  of  the  Indians  carried  long  staves,  and  they 
fetched  such  stinging  blows  with  them  that  the 
Spaniards  could  barely  get  about,  and  they  laugh 
ingly  confessed  that  they  felt  as  if  they  had  been 
bastinadoed.  A  few  Indians  were  taken  prisoners, 
and  of  these  the  Adelantado  sent  six  to  the  chief 
with  their  right  hands  and  noses  cut  off. 

The  next  day  a  party  of  Spaniards  was  sauntering 
over  the  field  of  the  night's  battle,  and  talking  it 
over,  when  a  trooper  came  riding  up  leading  a 


232  Hernando  de  Soto 

horse,  his  horse  which  had  run  away  the  night  be 
fore  and  which  he,  on  a  horse  borrowed  from  a 
companion,  had  just  found  and  caught.  As  he 
stopped  by  the  saunterers,  one  of  them,  Francisco 
de  Salazar,  jumped  into  the  empty  saddle  to  show 
off  his  horsemanship,  of  which  he  was  inordinately 
proud ;  and  at  the  moment  catching  sight  of  an 
Indian  slinking  behind  a  bush  in  the  field,  he  and 
the  other  trooper  galloped  forward  towards  him,  while 
the  rest  ran  on  foot.  The  Indian,  seeing  them 
spreading  out  to  surround  him,  and  that,  cut  off 
on  all  sides,  he  could  not  escape,  came  out  from 
his  hiding-place,  and  himself  ran  to  meet  the  first 
Spaniard  on  foot.  He  had  a  hatchet  in  his  hand,  his 
share  of  the  plunder  of  the  night  before,  and  the 
sharpened  blade  shone  in  the  sun  like  a  jewel. 
Raising  it  with  both  hands,  he  dealt  the  Spaniard 
a  blow  that  sent  his  shield  in  pieces  to  the  ground 
and  left  his  arm  dangling  half  in  two.  The  man, 
stunned  from  the  force  of  the  blow  and  pain,  stood 
unable  to  speak  or  move.  The  next  Spaniard  now 
coming  up,  the  warrior  turned  to  receive  him  and, 
with  another  blow  aimed  as  surely  as  the  first,  cut 
through  shield  and  arm,  leaving  him  in  exactly 
the  same  condition  as  his  companion.  Seeing 
this,  the  horsemen  came  spurring  to  the  rescue. 
The  Indian  jumped  aside  under  a  low  oak  and, 
while  the  trooper  was  wheeling  round  thrusting  at 
him  under  the  branches,  he  darted  from  under  the 
tree  and,  springing  to  the  left  of  the  horse,  raised  his 
hatchet  in  both  hands  and  gave  him  a  cut  that  opened 


In  the  West  233 

him  from  shoulder  to  knee,  and  the  horse  like  the 
footman  stood  unable  to  move  a  step. 

By  this  time  another  of  the  Spaniards,  Gonzalo 
Silvestre,  came  up  on  foot.  Thinking  that  two 
Spaniards  on  foot  and  two  horsemen  were  enough 
for  one  Indian,  he  had  not  given  himself  much  haste. 
The  Indian  turned  to  receive  him  as  he  had  done 
the  others,  his  strength  and  courage  rising  high  in 
triumph  at  the  fine  blows  he  had  delivered.  Rais 
ing  his  hatchet  for  the  fourth  time  in  both  hands, 
he  would  have  given  the  same  blow  for  the  fourth 
time,  if  Gonzalo,  quicker  than  the  others,  had  not 
dodged  it,  and  the  hatchet,  swerving  and  only  graz 
ing  his  shield,  was  carried  in  its  impetus  to  the 
ground.  Silvestre's  sword  flashed  through  the  air 
and,  slitting  across  forehead,  face,  and  shoulders  of 
the  warrior,  cut  through  the  raised  arm,  and  the 
hand,  which  dropped,  hanging  by  a  shred  of  skin 
from  the  wrist.  The  Indian,  seizing  the  hatchet  in 
his  one  hand,  sprang  forward  to  strike  the  Spaniard 
in  the  face.  Silvestre  caught  the  blow  on  his  shield, 
while  from  under  it  he  gave  a  mighty  cut  at  the  In 
dian's  waist;  his  blade  passed  clean  and  straight 
through  the  body.  The  Indian  stood  for  a  moment, 
then  fell  in  two  pieces.  Hearing  of  the  feat,  the 
Adelantado  and  his  officers  hastened  into  the  field 
to  verify  it  with  their  own  eyes  and  to  learn  all  the 
particulars  ;  and  saying  that  it  was  only  right  that  so 
wonderful  an  achievement  should  be  well  certified  to, 
he  had  a  notarial  account  of  it  drawn  up. 

The  army  remained  in  Tula  twenty  days,  during 


234  Hernando  de  Soto 

which  time  horsemen  overran  the  province  in  all 
directions,  and  as  it  was  populous,  they  captured 
many  Indians,  men  and  women  of  all  ages.  But 
neither  promises  nor  threats  could  induce  any  of 
them  to  go  along  peaceably  ;  and  when  force  was 
used,  they  would  repeat  the  constant  manoeuvre  of 
throwing  themselves  on  the  earth  with  "  Kill  me  or 
leave  me,  just  as  you  please."  So  indomitable  were 
they,  in  short,  that  the  only  way  to  end  a  fight 
with  them  was  to  kill  all,  which  the  Spaniards  did, 
excepting  only  the  women  and  children.  But  one 
Indian  woman  of  all  the  province  was  enslaved,  and 
her  temper  was  such  that,  if  her  master  or  any  of 
his  friends  said  anything  to  her  about  her  cooking 
or  about  the  food,  she  would  throw  the  boiling  pot 
or  the  fire  tongs,  or  anything  else  she  happened  to 
have,  in  his  face,  bidding  them  either  to  kill  her 
or  let  her  do  as  she  pleased.  And  so  they  let  her 
alone  and  suffered  all  she  chose  to  put  upon  them, 
and  even  then  she  ran  away,  leaving  her  master 
rejoiced  at  being  rid  of  such  a  vixen. 

The  fierceness  and  cruelty  of  the  Tula  Indians,  as 
the  Spaniards  learned  later,  made  them  such  a  terror 
to  all  neighbouring  tribes  that  the  mothers  used  the 
name,  Tula,  to  frighten  the  children  and  make  them 
stop  crying ;  and  the  Spaniards  relate  that,  when 
they  left  the  province,  they  took  with  them,  as  their 
only  captive,  a  boy  of  nine  or  ten  years.  In  the 
villages,  through  which  the  army  passed  afterwards, 
when  the  children  of  the  village  and  those  of  the 
army  would  all  collect  together  to  play  their  fa- 


In  the  West  235 

vourite  game  of  a  battle,  the  Tula  boy  would  fight 
first  on  one  side  then  on  the  other,  and  on  which 
ever  side  he  was,  when  he  and  his  men  charged 
with  their  cries  of  "Tula!"  the  other  side  always 
ran. 

The  Adelantado,  inquiring  his  way  among  the 
Indians,  was  still  told  that  towards  the  west  the 
villages  were  scattered,  but  that  towards  the  south 
east  there  were  a  great  many  towns  and  plenty  of 
corn,  and  that  ten  days'  journey  from  Tula  there 
was  a  great  village  called  Utiangue,  and  that  not  far 
from  it  was  a  great  water.  The  winter  with  its 
rain  and  snow  would  soon  put  an  end  to  marching, 
and  as  scattering  villages  meant  scarcity  of  food,  the 
Adelantado  decided  to  march  forthwith  to  Utiangue 
and  winter  there.  The  great  water,  he  thought, 
might  be  an  arm  of  the  sea ;  and  his  mind  began 
to  work  on  a  new  plan,  or  rather  to  take  up  again  his 
old  one.  If  the  great  water  was  the  sea,  in  the  spring 
he  could  march  to  the  coast  and  make  two  brig- 
antines  and  send  the  one  to  Mexico,  the  other  to 
Cuba,  to  take  news  of  himself  and  his  expedition 
and  bring  back  news  to  him,  for  he  began  to  want 
to  hear  from  Dona  Isabella,  and  she  must  be  want 
ing  to  hear  from  him,  for  it  was  three  years  since 
either  had  heard  from  the  other.  Moreover,  he 
needed  supplies  of  men  and  horses,  for  he  had  now 
lost  all  together  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  men 
and  one  hundred  and  fifty  horses.  Then,  after  re- 
enforcements  came,  he  would  go  on  with  the  discov 
ery  and  conquest  of  the  country  towards  the  west ; 


236  Hernando  de  Soto 

for,  far  as  he  had  travelled,  he  had  not  yet  come 
where  Cabeza  de  Vaca  had  been  and  where  he  had 
seen  the  marvellous  wealth,  the  secret  of  which  he 
was  afraid  to  divulge. 

The  army  was  eleven  days  in  marching  through 
the  territory  of  the  fierce  Tulas.  The  population 
was  scant  as  to  numbers,  but  great  in  daring  and 
audacity.  They  harassed  the  Spaniards  every  mile 
of  their  march,  when  there  were  no  trees  or  shrubs 
for  an  ambush,  lying  flat  upon  the  ground  and  cover 
ing  themselves  with  grass,  then  rising  like  a  flight 
of  locusts,  whirring  off  volleys  of  arrows,  and  making 
away  at  full  speed.  The  horse,  it  is  true,  pursued 
and  lanced  them  at  their  own  good  pleasure,  but 
a  mile  further  on  there  they  were  again,  repeating 
their  manoeuvre,  killing  none  but  wounding  many. 

The  army  passed  at  last  into  the  province  of 
Utiangue,  and  arrived  at  the  great  village  about  the 
middle  of  October.  As  it  was  abandoned,  they  took 
possession  without  trouble.  The  Indians  here  were 
better  looking  than  those  of  Tula ;  they  did  not 
tattoo  their  faces  nor  deform  their  heads,  but  they 
were  hardly  less  fierce.  They  would  accept  no  mes 
sages  of  peace,  and  their  attitude  was  such  that  the 
first  measure  of  the  Adelantado  upon  entering  the 
village  was  to  strengthen  its  walls.  Corn  enough 
for  the  winter  was  collected  from  the  villages  round 
about,  and  a  great  provision  of  wood  was  laid  in, 
and  nuts,  dried  grapes,  and  pumpkins.  In  the  fields 
were  vast  quantities  of  rabbits,  which  the  Indians 
taught  the  Spaniards  to  catch  in  traps,  and  later  on, 


In  the  West  237 

the  Spaniards  and  Indians  got  up  great  deer  hunts 
together,  which  kept  their  larders  well  supplied  with 
venison.  It  snowed  heavily  at  times,  and  for  a 
month  and  a  half  the  men  could  not  get  out  of 
the  village  except  by  a  pathway  made  by  walk 
ing  the  horses  to  and  fro  through  the  snow.  To 
keep  up  discipline,  the  Adelantado  had  the  alarm 
given  from  time  to  time,  especially  when  he  saw 
slackness  or  carelessness  among  the  men.  Alto 
gether  it  was  by  far  the  best  winter  that  the  Span 
iards  had  passed  in  Florida,  and  they  themselves 
acknowledged  that,  with  their  good  supplies  of 
food  and  fire,  they  would  not  in  the  houses  of  their 
fathers  at  home  have  fared  better,  nor  even  as  well. 
The  only  demonstration  from  the  Indians  was  a 
constant  visiting  or  sending  of  pretended  messen 
gers  to  spy  in  the  camp,  but  nothing  came  of  it. 

But  Juan  Ortiz  died  during  the  winter,  to  the 
great  grief  of  all ;  for  all  loved  him  for  the  vicissi 
tudes  he  had  passed  through,  and  on  account  of 
them  each  one  hoped  for  Juan's  return  to  his  coun 
try  more  ardently  than  for  his  own.  His  loss  was 
an  irreparable  one  to  the  Adelantado.  Pedro,  the 
boy  from  Cofachiqui,  replaced  him  as  interpreter ; 
but  what  Juan  could  extract  from  an  Indian  in  four 
words  it  took  this  boy  a  day  to  get  at,  and  then,  as 
often  as  not,  he  misunderstood  so  completely  that 
the  army  would  march  two  or  three  days  in  the 
wrong  direction  and  have  to  retrace  its  steps. 

The  Adelantado  meanwhile  was  conning  over  his 
plans,  for  he  was  fixed  in  his  mind  now  to  return 


23  8  Hernando  de  Soto 

to  the  Great  River,  by  a  different  road  from  the 
one  travelled  away  from  it,  in  order  to  see  other 
parts  of  the  land.  For  his  army  was  weakening, 
men  and  horses  wasting  away  day  by  day.  And, 
says  the  chronicle,  sorrow  more  and  more  oppressed 
the  Adelantado  that  without  any  profit  to  himself 
or  to  any  one  else  so  much  toil  had  been  suffered  ; 
he  knew  well  that  if  he  should  fail  or  die  without 
making  the  beginning  of  an  establishment  in  the 
country  and  annexing  it  to  Spain,  it  would  be  many, 
many  years  before  there  could  be  collected  together 
for  the  purpose  so  many  good  soldiers,  horses,  arms, 
and  ammunition  as  had  been  embarked  in  that  con 
quest.  And  he  sorely  repented  now  that  he  had  not 
gone  on  to  the  port  of  Achuse  and  settled  it  as  he 
had  decided  two  years  ago,  and  his  idea  now  was  to 
repair  the  mistake  as  best  he  could.  He  did  not 
propose  to  go  in  search  of  the  sea-coast,  but  to  settle 
his  army  upon  the  bank  of  the  Great  River  in  the 
best  and  most  convenient  situation  to  be  found,  and 
to  build  there  his  brigantines  and  send  them  down 
the  Great  River  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  whence  they 
could  make  their  way  to  Mexico,  Cuba,  or  Spain, 
carrying  the  news  of  the  vast  country  he  had  ex 
plored  and  bringing  back  news  to  him ;  for  above 
all  and  besides  all  other  consideration  was  the  long 
ing  in  his  heart  to  hear  from  Dona  Isabella  and  to 
send  tidings  of  his  welfare  to  her. 

So  as  soon  as  spring  began  to  make  a  showing, 
he  drew  the  army  out  from  Utiangue,  and  turned 
its  steps  towards  the  region  of  the  Great  River ;  and 


In  the  West  239 

this  was  all  the  soldiers  knew  or  cared  to  know  about 
the  line  of  march.  For  when  they  heard  the  pur 
pose  of  their  return,  they  had  but  one  idea  in  their 
heads,  or  it  might  be  said,  feeling  in  their  hearts,  — 
to  hurry  on,  through  village  after  village,  and  prov 
ince  after  province,  by  the  longest  marches  they 
could  make,  so  as  to  get  to  the  river  as  quickly  as 
possible,  make  their  boats,  and  communicate  with 
Spain,  the  land  of  Christians,  as  they  fondly  called  it. 

The  river  that  flowed  by  Utiangue  was  the  same1 
that  passed  by  Coyas,  and  the  Indians  said  that  it 
ended  only  when  it  met  the  Great  River.  This  was 
enough  ;  the  river  became  guide,  and  the  army  fol 
lowed  it  along  through  forest  and  plain,  by  village 
after  village,  crossing  it  once,  and  crossing  a  great 
lake  into  which  it  fell  with  a  furious  current ;  and 
the  river  grew  larger  and  deeper  as  they  followed  it 
until  it  became  of  the  size  of  the  Guadalquiver,  as  it 
flowed  past  the  largest  village  seen  since  leaving 
Utiangue. 

The  advance  squadron  halted  and  waited  for  the 
rest  of  the  army  to  come  up.  A  large  force  of  war 
riors  drew  up  in  front  of  the  village,  while  women 
and  children  hurried  over  the  river  in  boats  and 
rafts,  and  when  the  army  arrived  they  themselves 
jumped  into  the  river  and  swam  across  without  fir 
ing  an  arrow.  The  Spaniards  took  a  few  prisoners. 
Questioned,  they  said  their  village  was  named  Anilco, 
and  they  knew  of  no  other  village  below  them  on 
the  river  but  Guachoya,  and  on  the  other  side  of 

1  Red  River  or  some  of  its  affluents. 


24°  Hernando  de  Soto 

the  Great  River,  Quigaltanqui.  Messengers  were 
sent  with  offers  of  peace  to  the  chief  of  Anilco.  But 
he,  not  deigning  even  to  speak  with  the  messengers, 
haughtily,  and  as  if  he  were  dumb,  made  signs  with 
his  hands  for  them  to  leave  his  presence.  The  Ade- 
lantado  decided  not  to  tarry  to  enforce  compulsion, 
but  to  push  on  to  Guachoya.  He  sent  some  of  his 
men  down  the  river  in  boats,  while  he  with  the 
remainder  crossed  to  the  other  bank,  and  marched 
on  by  land. 

Four  days  later,  on  a  Sunday,  the  village  of 
Guachoya  came  in  sight,  and  a  crossbow-shot  away 
from  it  rolled  the  majestic  current  of  the  Great 
River. 


CHAPTER   XX 

DEATH    AND    BURIAL    OF    THE    ADELANTADO 

GUACHOYA  and  Anilco  held  each  other  in 
such  enmity  and  hatred,  and  were  carrying 
on  such  a  bitter  war,  that  not  a  word  of 
warning  had  come  to  the  people  of  Guachoya  about 
the  Spaniards,  until  some  of  the  Guachoya  warriors 
paddling  up  the  river  in  their  canoes  caught  sight 
of  them  marching  forward.  Returning  in  all  haste 
to  their  village,  the  warriors  gave  the  alarm.  The 
chief  and  his  people  did  not  think  of  defence,  but 
throwing  themselves  with  whatever  they  could  carry 
into  their  canoes,  the  whole  population,  men,  women, 
and  children,  fled  to  the  other  side  of  the  Mississippi. 

The  village  was  a  double  one,  equally  divided 
between  the  two  mounds  upon  which  it  was  built. 
The  Spaniards  entered  and  took  possession ;  and 
the  cabins  were  so  large  and  so  well  stored  with 
corn,  beans,  and  dried  vegetables  and  fruit  that  they 
said  it  was  as  if  the  place  had  been  especially  built 
and  supplied  by  Providence  for  their  ease  and  com 
fort. 

It  was  not  long  before  Guachoya,1  the  chief,  heard 

1  Here  as  elsewhere  in  Florida  the  Spaniards  always  designated  the  chief  by  the 
name  of  his  village,  or  the  village  by  the  name  of  the  chief. 

R  241 


242  Hernando  de  Soto 

all  that  had  taken  place  in  the  Anilco  village,  and 
how  the  chief  there  had  rejected  the  Spanish  general's 
offer  of  peace  and  disdained  his  friendship,  and  he 
saw,  astute  politician  that  he  was  and  filled  with  sub 
tleties,  that  an  opportunity  for  revenge  had  come 
ready-made  to  his  hands.  He  sent  at  once  offers 
of  his  friendship  and  service  to  the  Spaniards,  beg 
ging  their  pardon  for  not  having  waited  to  receive 
them  in  his  village,  and  promising  to  come  in  per 
son  and  pay  his  respects.  A  few  days  later  he  came 
with  a  large  band  of  his  warriors  in  their  gala  cos 
tumes  of  feathers  and  skin  mantles,  and  carrying 
superb  bows  and  quivers.  The  Adelantado,  sitting 
on  his  throne-chair  with  his  row  of  interpreters  stand 
ing  like  a  body-guard  behind  him,  received  them  in 
the  great  room  of  the  chief's  own  cabin.  Guachoya's 
warriors,  as  they  filed  in,  ranged  themselves  along  the 
sides  of  the  room.  While  the  interview  was  going 
on  Guachoya  sneezed  loudly ;  instantly  all  the  war 
riors,  bowing  their  heads,  opening  and  closing  their 
arms,  exclaimed,  "  The  Sun  guard  you,  the  Sun  be 
with  you,  the  Sun  shine  upon  you,  the  Sun  prosper 
you,  the  Sun  defend  you,  save  you,"  and  the  like,  the 
words  speeding  in  a  gentle  murmur  down  the  line. 
The  Adelantado  looked  round  in  amazement,  then 
smiling  at  his  officers,  "You  see,"  he  said,  "all  the 
world  is  alike!"  The  chief  remained  in  the  village 
in  a  cabin  that  the  Adelantado  caused  to  be  vacated 
for  him,  his  warriors  going  away  at  sunset  and 
returning  at  sunrise.  In  due  course  of  time  he  per 
suaded  the  Adelantado  to  go  with  him  on  an  expe- 


Death  and  Burial  of  the  Adelantado      243 

dition  against  Anilco,  proposing  to  send  the  bulk  of 
his  warriors  by  the  river,  while  he  and  the  Spanish 
force  marched  by  land.  The  Adelantado,  if  he  could 
not  get  help  out  of  Anilco  for  the  building  of  the 
brigantines,  wanted  at  least  security  from  any  fear  of 
him  while  awaiting  at  Guachoya  the  return  of  the 
brigantines  from  their  voyage ;  so  he  lent  himself 
to  Guachoya's  schemes. 

The  expedition  started,  one  part  by  river,  the 
other  by  land,  and  all  arrived  at  the  meeting-place 
on  the  river  bank  two  leagues  below  the  village, 
where  they  camped  that  night.  By  daylight 
they  were  in  march  towards  the  doomed  village. 
An  Anilco  Indian  saw  them  and  ran  amain  to 
give  warning.  But  the  country  was  flat  and 
open  ;  and  before  the  village,  taken  completely 
by  surprise,  could  rally,  the  Spanish  horsemen 
were  upon  it.  The  chief  was  absent,  and  no  one 
seemed  in  command.  The  people  ran  hither  and 
thither  in  confusion, —  the  women  and  children 
shrieking. 

Carried  away  by  mere  excitement,  the  Spanish 
horsemen  rushed  in  and  fought  as  if  the  harm 
less  people  had  been  their  bitter  enemies.  The 
Guachoya  warriors  at  their  heels  reaped  the  fruit 
of  the  carnage  with  an  atrocity  even  beyond  that  of 
the  Casquins ;  for  they  killed  even  the  old  women, 
first  dragging  off  the  little  clothing  they  wore,  and 
shooting  them  down  as  they  ran  through  the  vil 
lage  in  their  withered  nakedness ;  and  the  infants 
they  would  throw  by  one  leg  up  into  the  air,  and 


244  Hernando  de  Soto 

shoot  them  full  of  arrows  before  they  could  fall  to 
the  earth. 

The  Adelantado,  whose  worst  intention  had  been 
to  frighten  the  chief  into  a  peace  and  not  by  a 
bloody  punishment  to  force  him  into  war,  was 
greatly  incensed  when  he  came  up  and  saw  the  riot 
of  passion  and  cruelty.  He  sternly  ordered  the  re 
call  to  be  sounded  at  once,  and  turned  away  with  his 
men,  after  having  a  proclamation  cried  that  no  one 
under  penalty  of  death  should  set  fire  to  the  village 
or  injure  it  further ;  and,  that  the  Guachoya  chief 
and  his  men  should  not  excuse  themselves  with 
ignorance,  the  proclamation  was  translated  and  cried 
in  their  own  language.  But  the  Adelantado  had  not 
marched  his  army  a  quarter  of  a  league  away  when, 
looking  back,  he  saw  smoke  arising  from  the  village 
and  the  houses  bursting  into  flames.  The  Guachoya 
Indians,  incapable  of  sparing  the  village  of  their 
enemies,  and  forbidden  to  burn  it  openly,  had  hid 
den  coals  of  fire  in  the  thatchings  of  straw ;  and  as 
the  straw  in  the  summer  heat  had  become  as  dry  as 
tinder  a  mere  breath  of  wind  was  enough  to  make 
it  kindle.  The  Adelantado  wanted  to  return  to  the 
rescue  of  the  place;  but  seeing  numbers  of  Indians 
running  out  from  places  of  concealment  to  put  out 
the  fire  he  left  it  to  them,  and  proceeded  upon  his 
road  to  Guachoya,  in  great  anger,  but  concealing  it, 
so  as  not  to  lose  the  friends  he  had  for  the  sake  of 
those  he  could  not  obtain. 

Once  more  in  the  village  and  established  in  his 
quarters,  he  left  all  other  cares  to  his  camp  officers 


Death  and  Burial  of  the  Adelantado       245 

to  take  upon  himself  the  building  of  the  boats.  For 
this  he  thought  and  planned  day  and  night.  At  once 
he  put  men  to  work  cutting  the  necessary  timbers, 
and  in  the  forest  he  found  an  abundance  of  the  best. 
He  collected  together  all  the  cordage  and  ropes  in 
the  army  and  in  the  village,  and  anything  else  that 
could  serve  for  cordage  from  the  villages  around. 
He  sent  out  Indians  to  fetch  him  all  the  pine  gum 
and  gum  of  other  trees  they  could  find  to  make 
pitch  of;  he  had  forges  set  up,  and  began  the  work 
of  making  nails  and  fastenings  out  of  what  metal 
they  had,  and  repairing  what  nails  had  been  used  in 
the  other  boats.  In  his  mind  he  had  already  se 
lected  the  officers  and  soldiers,  loyal  friends  whom 
he  could  trust,  to  take  the  brigantines  to  their  des 
tination,  and  to  bring  back  supplies. 

When  the  Guachoya  chief  was  questioned  about 
the  sea,  he  answered  that  he  knew  nothing  of  it, 
nor  of  any  villages  down  the  river  on  his  side.  But 
on  the  other  bank,  he  said,  there  were  great  prov 
inces  and  villages.  Thinking  that  the  chief  might 
be  lying,  to  get  the  army  out  of  his  village,  the 
Adelantado  sent  Juan  d'Anasco  down  the  river  on 
a  reconnoissance  to  see  what  habitations  were  along 
it,  and  if  there  were  any  signs  of  the  sea.  D'Anasco 
was  gone  eight  days,  and  on  his  return  said  that 
in  all  that  time  he  had  not  been  able  to  go  above 
fourteen  or  fifteen  leagues,  because  of  the  streams 
running  in  and  out  the  river,  and  the  canebrakes 
and  thickets  along  the  bank,  and  that  he  had  found 
no  village,  nor  sign  of  village.  This  was  discourag- 


246  Hernando  de  Soto 

ing  news,  for  with  the  Anilcoes  at  enmity,  and  no 
other  villages  to  draw  supplies  from,  the  Ade- 
^antado  did  not  know  what  he  should  do  for  food, 
and  already  it  was  running  short.  He  sent  Juan 
d'Anasco  to  reconnoitre  the  other  side  of  the  river. 
As  Guachoya  had  said,  it  was  well  populated,  and 
nearly  opposite  the  Spaniards  was  a  large  village  of 
some  fifteen  hundred  houses,  the  village  of  Qui- 
galtanqui.1  The  Adelantado  made  up  his  mind 
that  instead  of  summering  at  Guachoya  he  would,  as 
soon  as  his  vessels  were  built  and  despatched,  cross 
the  river  and  take  up  his  quarters  in  Quigaltanqui. 
With  presents  and  a  grand  message,  he  sent  an  In 
dian  to  the  chief,  telling  him  that  the  Spaniards 
were  the  sons  of  the  Sun,  and  that  along  all  the 
way  they  had  come  through  the  country  the  natives 
had  served  and  obeyed  them,  and  that  Quigaltanqui, 
therefore,  should  do  the  same  and  come  to  pay  his 
respects  to  them,  bringing  with  him,  as  tokens  of  his 
friendship  and  esteem,  presents  of  those  things  that 
they  most  valued. 

Quigaltanqui's  answer  to  this  was :  If  the  Span 
iards  are  the  children  of  the  Sun,  let  them  dry  up 
the  river,  and  then  he  would  believe  them.  As  for 
coming  to  them,  he  was  wont  to  come  to  none ; 
rather  all  those  of  whom  he  knew  in  the  country 
came  to  him  and  served  and  obeyed  and  paid  trib 
ute  to  him,  either  willingly  or  from  force.  If  the 
Spaniards  wished  to  come  to  him  in  peace,  he 

1  Quigaltanqui  seems,  beyond  reasonable  doubt,  to  represent  what  was  known 
later  as  the  great  Natchez  village  and  people. 


Death  and  Burial  of  the  Adelantado       247 

would  willingly  await  them  where  he  was ;  if  in  war, 
he  would  await  them  none  the  less  willingly,  and 
would  not  shrink  one  step  backward. 

It  went  hard  with  the  Adelantado  not  to  be  able 
to  cross  the  river  at  once  and  meet  Quigaltanqui, 
and  see,  as  he  said,  if  he  could  not  abate  some  of 
his  pride  ;  but  he  could  not.  The  river  was  rising 
and  coming  down  from  above  with  furious  current, 
and  the  population  on  the  other  side  of  the  river 
was  thick,  while  his  own  force  was  so  weakened  that 
he  had  to  fight  now  rather  with  his  wits  than  his 
power ;  and  lastly,  he  himself,  ailing  for  a  long  time, 
was  ill,  and  in  fact,  when  Quigaltanqui's  answer 
came,  had  betaken  himself  to  bed,  "  evil "  handed 
with  fever,  as  his  chronicler  puts  it.  And  in  addi 
tion  to  all  this,  and  to  complete  his  measure  of 
anxiety  and  vexation,  he  was  very  doubtful  about 
the  loyalty  of  Guachoya.  The  village  was  con 
stantly  filling  with  Indians,  who  came  under  pretext 
of  bringing  the  Spaniards  fish,  and  every  day  the 
chief  was  giving  mysterious  intimations  that  Quigal 
tanqui  was  coming  to  attack  the  village.  Although 
the  Adelantado  suspected  it  to  be  a  lie  to  drive  him 
away,  he  had  to  keep  prepared  and  ready  for  attack. 
And  as  the  walls  had  great  gaps  through  which  the 
Indians  were  in  the  habit  of  passing  in  and  out,  and 
to  mend  them  would  betray  apprehension,  horse 
men  were  stationed  the  length  of  them,  and  all  night 
and  all  day  they  kept  up  their  rounds,  two  and  two, 
visiting  the  sentinels  on  their  outposts  and  the  cross- 
bowmen  on  guard  over  the  canoes  in  the  river. 


248  Hernando  de  Soto 

The  fever  never  left  the  Adelantado,  but  rose 
steadily,  until  it  reached  such  a  height  that  he  knew 
his  illness  was  to  the  death,  and  so  at  once,  as  a 
soldier  and  a  Christian,  he  began  to  prepare  himself 
for  it.  He  drew  up  his  last  will  and  testament, 
which,  for  want  of  sufficient  paper,  was  written 
almost  in  cipher  ;  and  he  confessed  his  sins.  Then 
he  called  for  the  royal  officers,  the  captains  and  cav 
aliers,  and  the  principal  men  of  his  army.  When 
they  had  come,  and  had  placed  themselves  around 
his  bed,  he  told  them,  as  one  of  them  afterwards 
wrote,  that  now  he  was  going  to  give  an  account 
in  the  presence  of  God  of  all  his  past  life ;  and, 
since  it  pleased  Him  to  take  him,  and  since  the 
time  was  indeed  come  for  his  death,  he,  His  most 
unworthy  servant,  did  yield  Him  many  thanks 
therefor.  And  he  desired  all  his  friends,  present 
and  absent,  to  whom  he  confessed  himself  to  be 
much  beholden  for  their  love  and  loyalty  and  sin 
gular  virtues,  which  he  had  well  tried  in  the  travails 
they  had  suffered  together,  and  whom  he  had  it 
always  in  his  mind  to  satisfy  and  reward  when  it 
should  please  God  to  give  him  rest  and  more  pros 
perity  of  estate,  —  he  desired  them  all  to  pray  to 
God  for  him,  that,  in  His  mercy,  He  would  forgive 
him  his  sins  and  receive  him  into  eternal  glory. 
And  he  asked  them  that  they  would  free  and  quit 
him  of  the  charge  and  office  which  he  had  over 
them,  and  that  they  would  pardon  him  for  any 
wrongs  that  they  might  have  received  from  him  in 
it.  To  avoid  any  dissension,  which  upon  his  death 


Death  and  Burial  of  the  Adelantado       249 

might  arise,  upon  the  choice  of  a  successor,  he  re 
quested  them  to  select  a  person  able  to  govern,  and 
whom  all  would  like  well.  And  he  would  thank 
them  very  much  for  so  doing,  for  the  grief  that  he 
felt  would  be  somewhat  assuaged,  and  the  pain  that 
he  endured  in  leaving  them  in  so  great  trouble,  in  a 
strange  country,  not  even  knowing  where  they 
were. 

Balthazar  de  Gallegos  answered  in  the  name  of 
the  rest.  First  of  all  comforting  the  Adelantado, 
he  set  before  him  how  short  the  life  of  this  world  is, 
and  with  how  many  troubles  and  miseries  it  is  ac 
companied,  and  how  God  showed  a  singular  favour 
to  him  who  soonest  left  it ;  and  many  other  things 
fit  for  such  a  time.  As  to  the  Adelantado's  last  re 
quest,  he  said,  although  his  death  did  justly  grieve 
them  much,  yet  must  they  conform  themselves  to 
the  will  of  God ;  and  as  for  the  captain-general  to 
be  chosen,  he,  Balthazar  de  Gallegos,  besought  him 
to  name  the  man  he  thought  fit,  and  they  would 
all  obey.  The  Adelantado  at  once  named  Luis 
de  Moscoso  d'Alvarado.  Then  the  officers  and 
most  prominent  soldiers  of  the  army,  and,  after 
them,  all  the  others  by  twenty  and  thirty  came  to 
him,  and  he  swore  them  all  to  serve  and  obey  Luis 
de  Moscoso.  When  this  was  done,  he  took  leave 
of  them  amid  many  tears  from  them,  charging  upon 
them  the  conversion  of  the  natives  of  that  country 
to  the  Roman  Catholic  faith,  and  the  addition  of  it 
to  the  crown  of  Spain  —  the  desires  of  his  heart, 
which  death  alone  prevented  him  from  fulfilling. 


250  Hernando  de  Soto 

And  he  prayed  them  most  tenderly  to  live  in  peace 
and  love  with  one  another. 

He  died  the  next  day,  the  twenty-first  of  May, 
1542,  on  the  seventh  day  of  his  illness,  his  fever 
never  diminishing,  but  increasing  to  the  end.  "And 
thus,"  concludes  the  chronicler,  "  departed  out  of 
this  life  the  valorous,  chivalrous,  and  noble  cap 
tain,  Don  Hernando  de  Soto,  Governor  of  Cuba, 
and  Adelantado  of  Florida,  whom  fortune  raised, 
as  it  had  done  so  many  others,  only  that  he  might 
have  the  higher  fall.  The  danger  of  all  perishing 
in  that  country  without  him  was  clear  before  their 
eyes,  and  they  grieved  that  any  had  borne  ill  will  to 
him,  or  had  not  held  him  in  the  esteem  they  ought 
to  have  done." — All  his  good  qualities  and  none  but 
the  good  were  remembered,  for,  as  it  must  be  ever, 
grief  for  the  dead  is  largely  the  repentance  of  the 
living.  He  was,  said  the  soldiers,  the  most  patient 
of  men ;  so  much  so,  that  the  greatest  comfort  his 
soldiers  ever  had,  in  every  toil  and  hardship,  was 
seeing  his  courage  and  endurance.  He  always  hon 
oured  his  soldiers,  and  though  severe  in  punishing 
military  offences  he  pardoned  all  others  with  ease. 
In  his  own  person  he  was  the  bravest  of  the  brave; 
so  true  was  this  that  whenever  he  fought  in  open 
battle  all  had  to  make  way  for  him,  as  if  for  ten 
men,  for,  as  has  been  said  before,  ten  lances  chosen 
from  the  whole  army  were  not  worth  his  single  one, 
and  wherever  the  fight  was  hottest  there  was  he  ever 
to  be  found.  And  there  was  one  very  notable  and 
memorable  circumstance  always  related  of  him  ;  that 


Death  of  the  Adelantado. 


Death  and  Burial  of  the  Adelantado       251 

in  assaults,  surprises,  and  engagements  with  the 
enemy  by  day,  he  was  always  the  first  or  second, 
and  never  the  third,  to  get  to  the  fight  with  his 
arms ;  and  by  night,  he  was  never  the  second, 
but  always  the  first,  so  that  it  seemed  to  the  men 
that  he  first  armed  himself  and  then  ordered  the 
alarm  to  be  sounded.  As  for  horsemanship,  there 
was  never  better  horseman  among  Spanish  cavaliers 
—  witness  his  fighting  five  hours  standing  in  his 
stirrups  at  Mauvila,  and  one  hour  on  a  loose  saddle 
at  Chickasaw.  And  now,  after  losing  in  this  Con 
quest  of  Florida  all  of  his  fortune,  more  than  one 
hundred  thousand  ducats,  he  lost  his  life  in  it,  — 
his  fame,  his  hope  of  family  and  the  great  estate  that 
he  was  to  found. 

Luis  de  Moscoso  decided  to  conceal  the  death 
of  the  Adelantado  from  the  Indians.  They  had 
always  been  made  to  believe  that  Christians  were 
immortal,  and  that  the  Adelantado  himself  was  a 
god,  who  could  read  their  secrets ;  for  he  used  to 
show  them  a  mirror,  telling  them  that  the  figures 
they  saw  in  it  told  him  everything  they  did  or  said, 
and  therefore  they  were  afraid  to  attempt  anything 
against  him.  Should  they  find  out  now  that  he  was 
dead,  Moscoso  feared  that  they  would  all,  even  the 
friendly  Indians,  set  upon  the  Spaniards  and  over 
power  them.  As  soon  as  the  breath  left  the  body, 
the  new  captain-general  ordered  the  corpse  to  be 
kept  hidden  in  the  house  for  three  days ;  and  to 
keep  up  the  deception,  the  soldiers  were  bidden  to 
hide  their  grief  under  gay,  careless  faces,  and  to  say 


252  Hernando  de  Soto 

that  he  was  getting  better.  In  all  silence  and  se 
crecy,  the  officers  made  their  preparations  for  the 
burial,  seeking  a  place  for  the  grave  that  the  In 
dians  should  not  suspect.  In  an  open  space  just 
outside  the  village  were  a  number  of  deep,  wide  pits 
dug  by  the  Indians  to  obtain  earth  for  their  mounds. 
One  of  these  was  suggested  and  selected.  At  dead 
of  night,  with  sentinels  posted  to  keep  the  Indians 
at  a  distance,  the  officers,  cavaliers,  and  priests  car 
ried  the  dead  Adelantado  thither,  laid  him  in  the 
pit,  and  filled  it  with  earth.  The  next  day,  to  ob 
literate  traces  of  what  they  had  done  and  still  further 
to  deceive  the  Indians,  they  gave  out  that  the  Ade 
lantado  was  getting  well;  and  jumping  upon  their 
horses  with  great  demonstrations  of  joy  and  fes 
tivity,  they  galloped  all  over  the  plain,  around  the 
pits,  and  over  the  grave,  upon  which,  on  pretence  of 
laying  the  dust,  great  quantities  of  water  had  been 
poured,  so  that  the  horses'  hoofs  trampled  the 
ground  into  an  even  surface.  But  their  precautions 
were  in  vain,  for  the  Indians  were  seen  passing  and 
repassing  among  the  pits,  looking  with  careful  atten 
tion  about  them,  whispering  to  one  another,  motion 
ing  with  their  chins,  and  winking  their  eyes  in  the 
direction  of  the  grave.  The  Spaniards  now  grew 
suspicious  themselves,  and,  uneasy  and  in  fear,  they 
decided  to  take  the  body  from  the  place  it  was  in  arid 
bury  it  somewhere  else,  in  some  situation  not  so 
easily  determined,  where,  if  the  Indians  searched  for 
it,  they  would  not  be  so  sure  of  finding  it,  and  where 
the  search  would  be  more  difficult.  For,  as  the 


Death  and  Burial  of  the  Adelantado       253 

Spaniards  knew  and  said,  if  the  Indians  suspected 
that  a  body  was  buried  there,  they  would  dig  the 
whole  plain  up,  with  their  hands  and  never  rest  until 
they  found  it.  And  if  they  found  that  the  body 
was  that  of  the  Adelantado,  then  would  they  wreak 
upon  him,  dead,  what  they  would  not  dare  even 
think  of  in  his  presence,  living. 

Then  came  the  inspiration  to  bury  the  Adelantado 
in  the  Great  River  itself  which  he  had  discovered ; 
there,  and  there  alone,  said  the  officers,  would  the 
body  be  safe  from  savage  insult  and  outrage.  His 
good  friend,  Juan  d'Anasco,  and  four  other  captains 
undertook  to  sound  for  a  proper  place.  Taking 
with  them  a  Biscayan  sailor  who  was  clever  with 
the  lead,  they  rowed  over  in  the  evening  to  the 
middle  of  the  river  and,  while  pretending  to  fish, 
sounded  it,  and  found  in  the  channel  a  depth  of 
nineteen  fathoms.  There  they  decided  should  be  the 
grave.  And  as  there  were  no  stones  in  that  region 
with  which  to  weight  the  body  and  sink  it  to  the 
bottom,  they  had  a  large  oak  tree  felled,  in  the 
trunk  of  which  was  hollowed  out  a  place  the  length 
of  a  man.  The  next  night,  with  all  possible  se 
crecy  and  precaution,  the  Adelantado  was  disin 
terred  and  placed  in  the  oak,  where  he  lay  as  in  a 
coffin,  and  the  opening  was  carefully  closed.  The 
cavaliers  and  priests  carried  the  trunk  to  a  boat,  and 
rowing  out  to  midstream,  and  recommending  the 
soul  of  the  Adelantado  to  God,  dropped  his  body 
overboard  —  saw  it  sink  to  the  bottom  of  the  Mis 
sissippi  —  the  mighty  bed  for  the  mighty  sleep. 


254  Hernando  de  Soto 

The  property  of  the  Adelantado,  cried  and  sold  at 
auction  the  next  day,  consisted  of  two  women  slaves, 
three  horses,  and  seven  hundred  hogs.  Every  slave 
and  horse  brought  three  thousand  ducats,  to  be  paid 
for  —  a  long  credit  —  at  the  first  melting  of  gold  or 
silver,  or  the  first  division  of  land  in  the  Conquest, 
the  men  giving  bond  and  sureties  for  the  amount. 
Those  who  had  no  tangible  property  in  Spain  to 
mortgage,  paid  greater  prices,  as  much  as  two  hun 
dred  ducats  for  a  hog,  giving  a  lien  upon  what 
might  be  called  their  castles  in  Florida.  But,  says 
the  chronicler,  pertinently,  those  who  had  any  goods 
in  Spain  bought  with  more  fear  and  bought  less. 
From  that  time  on,  most  of  the  soldiers  had  swine; 
and  they  bred  them  and  fed  upon  them,  and  en 
joyed,  among  other  gratifications,  the  pious  one  of 
being  able  to  observe  Fridays  and  the  eve  of  feast 
days,  which,  as  they  had  had  no  meat  to  abstain 
from,  they  could  not  do  before. 

When  the  shock  of  the  Adelantado's  sad  death 
and  burial  wore  off,  the  army  returned  to  its  usual 
condition  of  mind  and  morals ;  and  now  began  to 
be  heard  the  veering  and  shifting  expressions  that, 
through  the  long  lapse  of  centuries  ever  separate 
and  contrast  post-mortem  from  post-sepulcbram  senti 
ments.  Some  were  glad  now  of  the  death  of  De 
Soto,  holding  it  for  certain,  they  said,  that  Luis  de 
Moscoso,  who  was  fond  of  his  ease,  would  prefer 
quiet  rest  among  Christians  to  the  laborious  glory 
of  discovering  and  subduing  countries.  And  the 
view  proved  correct.  With  the  death  of  the  Ade- 


Death  and  Burial  of  the  Adelantado       255 

lantado  ended  all  his  plans  and  schemes,  for  there 
seemed  no  thought  of  adding  to  the  Crown  of  Spain 
or  the  Church  of  Rome,  only  of  getting  out  of  the 
country  as  fast  as  possible,  which  was,  in  truth,  what 
a  great  number  of  them  had  been  hungrily  yearning 
to  do  ever  since  the  disaster  at  Mauvila. 

The  new  captain-general  called  a  council  of  all  the 
officers,  to  decide  whether  the  better  way  of  abandon 
ing  the  country  would  be  to  go  down  the  river,  or 
to  march  through  the  country  to  Mexico,  ordering 
each  one  to  give  his  opinion  in  writing  with  his 
seal  upon  it.  The  officers  were  of  one  opinion  that 
the  voyage  by  river  and  sea  was  the  more  danger 
ous  and  hazardous,  because  they  could  not  make 
ships  strong  enough  to  abide  a  storm,  and  they  had 
neither  master,  pilot,  compass,  nor  chart,  nor  know 
ledge  of  how  far  the  sea  was,  nor  in  fact  any 
knowledge  of  it  whatever,  nor  even  whether  the 
Great  River  flowed  straight  to  it,  or  made  wide 
inland  turnings,  or  fell  over  great  rocks,  where  they 
all  might  be  wrecked.  The  royal  treasurer,  Juan 
d'Anasco,  always  in  the  lead  of  every  discussion,  as 
of  every  adventure,  related  how  he  had  once  seen 
a  sea  chart  of  the  country,  which  placed  New  Spain 
or  Mexico  about  four  hundred  leagues,  he  calcu 
lated,  more  or  less,  from  the  region  they  were  in 
now.  Going  by  land  he  thought  that,  although  they 
might  have  to  make  circuits  round  great  swamps 
that  they  could  not  pass  through,  still  by  spending 
the  summer  in  marching,  and  finding  some  well-pro 
visioned  villages  in  which  to  pass  the  next  winter, 


256  Hernando  de  Soto 

they  could  by  the  summer  following  come  to  Chris 
tian  land.  And  on  the  march  he  suggested  further 
there  was  always  a  chance  still  that  good  fortune 
might  bring  them  to  a  rich  country,  where,  as  he 
expressed  it,  they  might  do  themselves  good.  Luis 
de  Moscoso  wished  to  get  out  of  the  country  in 
shorter  time  than  that,  but  recognizing  the  impedi 
ments  of  the  sea  voyage,  he  consented  to  do  what 
seemed  best  for  all,  —  to  march  west  until  they  came 
to  New  Spain.  And  now,  that  this  was  decided 
upon,  there  began  to  revive  in  the  memories  of  all, 
the  Indian  rumours,  discredited  before,  that  far  out 
towards  the  west  there  was  another  army  of  Span 
iards  marching  and  conquering  the  land;  and  belief 
in  the  rumour  grew  now  into  a  conviction  that  there 
was  a  Spanish  army  out  there  that  came  from  Mexico, 
and  that  they  would  of  a  surety  reach  it.1 

1  In  truth,  while  De  Soto  was  marching  west  from  the  Mississippi,  Coronado 
in  his  search  for  the  seven  cities  was  marching  east  towards  it.  As  Mr.  Bandelier 
so  strikingly  remarks  in  "  The  Gilded  Man  ":  "  Had  Coronado  gone  directly  east  or 
southeast,  instead  of  in  a  northerly  direction,  he  might  have  shaken  hands  with 
the  discoverer  of  the  Mississippi  on  the  western  shores  of  the  Great  River." 


CHAPTER   XXI 

TOWARDS    MEXICO 

WITH  eagerness  and  alacrity  and  hearty  una 
nimity,  the  Spanish  soldiers  made  their 
preparations,  and  the  army  left  Guachoya 
fifteen  days  after  the  death  of  the  Adelantado. 
They  set  their  faces  towards  the  west,  resolved  to 
turn  aside  neither  to  the  right  nor  to  the  left,  sure 
that  going  in  a  straight  line  would  bring  them  out  in 
Mexico.  It  was  not  a  march,  but  in  truth  a  flight. 
They  hurried  through  the  villages  and  provinces, 
as  if  death  and  destruction  were  at  their  heels,  tarry 
ing  nowhere,  observing  only  that  they  were  not  as 
well  populated  nor  as  rich  in  food  as  others  seen 
in  the  country,  caring  not  to  learn  their  names,  in 
deed  caring  for  naught  about  them  except  to  get 
through  them  faster  and  faster.  The  first  stop 
ping-place,  Chaguate,  was  reached  in  a  fortnight, 
and  a  day  or  two  was  spent  there,  gathering  infor 
mation  about  the  next  stage  of  the  journey,  the 
way  to  Aguacay. 

The  day  after  leaving  Chaguate,  a  cavalier  was 
discovered  to  be  missing.    A  noble  man  and  wealthy, 
he  had  joined  the  expedition,  equipped  with  costly 
s  257 


258  Hernando  de  Soto 

apparel,  handsome  armour,  and  three  horses,  and 
in  every  way  he  had  proved  himself  a  gentleman, 
except  in  his  passion  for  cards.  It  must  be  ex 
plained  that,  although  the  playing-cards  had  been 
burned  with  the  rest  of  the  possessions  of  the  sol 
diers  at  Mauvila,  they  had  been  replaced  by  cards 
of  the  soldiers'  own  making,  squares  of  skin,  stiff 
like  parchment,  painted  in  the  style  of  the  thou 
sand  wonders,  as  they  expressed  it.  It  is  true  not  as 
many  packs  were  made  as  were  desired,  but  at  least 
as  many  as  sufficed  the  players,  who  used  them 
for  a  limited  time,  passing  them  round  from  one  to 
another ;  and  as  they  were  of  skin  they  stood  well 
the  constant  usage.  As  soon  as  the  cavalier  was 
missed,  the  captain-general  halted  the  army,  de 
termined  not  to  proceed  until  he  found  him,  seiz 
ing  as  hostage  four  warriors  he  had  brought  along 
from  Chaguate. 

A  rigid  investigation  being  made,  it  was  learned 
that  the  cavalier  had  been  seen  the  day  before,  and 
that  four  days  previous  he  had  gambled  away  every 
thing  he  possessed,  his  clothing,  his  arms,  a  fine  black 
horse  that  remained  to  him,  and  even,  in  his  blind 
passion,  he  had  staked  and  lost  a  beautiful  Indian 
girl  of  eighteen  that  had  fallen  to  his  lot.  He  had 
honourably  paid  all  his  debts  except  the  Indian  girl, 
and  he  told  the  winner  that  he  must  wait  for  her 
four  or  five  days,  when  he  would  send  her  to  him. 
He  had  not  sent  her,  and  she  was  missing  also.  So 
it  was  suspected  that,  in  order  not  to  give  up  the  girl, 
and  perhaps  also  ashamed  of  having  squandered 


Towards  Mexico  259 

away  his  arms,  among  soldiers  considered  a  basely 
vile  act,  he  had  fled  to  the  Indians.  The  suspicion 
grew  into  certainty  when  it  was  discovered  that 
the  girl  was  the  daughter  of  a  chief  of  Chaguate. 
Moscoso  nevertheless  ordered  the  four  warriors  to 
have  the  Spaniard  brought  back  at  once,  threatening 
if  they  did  not,  to  put  them  and  all  the  Indians  in 
the  army  to  death. 

The  warriors  sent  runners  in  every  direction  where 
they  thought  the  cavalier  might  be  found.  They 
returned,  bringing  word  that  the  cavalier  was  with 
the  chief  of  Chaguate,  who  was  feasting  him  with  all 
possible  honour,  and  that  he  said  that  he  did  not 
wish  to  return  to  his  people.  Moscoso,  at  this, 
accused  the  warriors  of  lying  to  him ;  he  was  con 
vinced,  he  told  them,  that  the  Spaniard  had  been 
killed. 

"  Sir,"  answered  the  spokesman,  "  we  are  not  men 
to  lie  to  you ;  and  to  prove  the  truth  of  our  mes 
sengers,  let  one  of  us  go  and  bring  back  a  token 
that  will  satisfy  you  that  the  Spaniard  is  alive ;  the 
other  three  will  remain  with  you  as  a  pledge  of 
good  faith  ;  and  that  you  may  be  sure  that  the  cava 
lier  is  not  dead,  have  a  letter  written  to  him  asking 
him  to  return  or  answer  in  writing.  As  none  of  us 
know  how  to  write,  you  will  see  that  he  is  alive/* 
This  seemed  reasonable,  and  Balthazar  de  Gallegos, 
who  was  a  friend  of  the  cavalier  and  from  the  same 
part  of  Spain,  wrote  the  letter,  reproaching  him  for 
his  act,  and  exhorting  him  to  return  and  perform 
his  duty  like  a  hidalgo,  promising  that  his  arms 


260  Hernando  de  Soto 

and  horse  should  be  restored  or  others  given  him. 
The  warrior  who  made  the  offer  was  selected  as 
messenger.  He  went  and  returned  in  two  days, 
bringing  the  same  letter  that  he  had  taken,  with 
the  name  of  Don  Diego  de  Guzman  written  across 
it  in  charcoal,  and  a  message  from  the  chief  that 
the  Spaniard  had  come  to  the  tribe  of  his  own  free 
will,  and  did  not  wish  to  return  to  his  people,  and 
he  would  not  force  him.  Upon  this  Moscoso, 
who  had  wasted  three  precious  days  upon  the 
renegade,  gave  him  up  and  went  on  with  his 
march. 

The  village  of  Aguacay  was  found  deserted. 
Moscoso  rested  there  a  day.  Near  by  was  found  a 
bonanza  of  salt,  which  the  Spaniards  picked  up  like 
pebbles,  and  not  far  from  the  next  camping  place,  a 
small  village,  they  found  a  saline  lake  from  which 
they  made  salt  as  they  had  done  in  Coyas. 

The  record  of  the  march,  as  confused  and  irregu 
lar  as  the  march  itself,  brings  the  army  next  to  a 
camp  between  two  mountains  in  a  thin  grove  of 
woods  ;  then,  about  the  middle  of  July,  to  the  small 
village  of  Pato.  Beyond  was  Amaye,  a  well-peopled 
province.  The  province  next  Amaye  was  Naguatex.1 

Camping  on  the  road  to  Naguatex  in  a  beauti 
ful  grove  of  trees,  they  descried  a  band  of  Indians 
watching  them.  The  horsemen  charged  and  made 
some  prisoners.  These,  questioned  by  Moscoso, 
said  that  the  band  had  been  sent  by  the  chief  of 

1  Natchitoches  (pronounced  Nakitosh),  on  Red  River  in  northern  Louisiana, 
the  oldest  French  settlement  in  the  state. 


Towards  Mexico  261 

Naguatex  to  spy  upon  the  army  and  find  out  what 
kind  of  men  were  in  it,  and  what  order  they  kept ; 
and  that  the  chief  with  some  of  his  allies  were  com 
ing  that  day  to  attack  the  Spaniards.  At  that  very 
moment,  two  bodies  of  Indians  were  seen  advancing 
upon  the  army  from  opposite  directions.  When 
they  saw  that  they  were  discovered,  they  gave  a 
great  cry  and  charged  upon  the  Spaniards,  and  then 
suddenly  turned  their  backs  and  betook  themselves 
to  flight.  The  Spaniards  pursued  carelessly,  leav 
ing  the  camp,  which  was  immediately  attacked  by 
other  bands  of  Indians  lying  in  ambush,  and  await 
ing  the  result  of  the  ruse  ;  these  were  driven  off  and 
also  hotly  pursued.  A  great  many  Indians  were 
captured,  and  Moscoso,  after  cutting  off  the  right 
hand  and  the  nose  of  each  one,  sent  them  to  the 
chief  with  the  message  that  the  Spaniards  would 
soon  be  in  his  territory  to  do  the  same  to  him. 

The  next  day,  the  army  came  upon  the  first  vil 
lage  of  the  Naguatex  country,  a  scattered  and  strag 
gling  one.  Asking  about  the  great  village  of  the 
chief,  Moscoso  was  told  that  it  lay  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river  that  ran  near  by.  When  he  marched 
to  the  river  he  found  Indians  gathered  to  resist  his 
crossing.  Not  knowing  whether  the  stream  was 
fordable,  and  having  a  good  many  wounded  men 
and  horses,  he  decided  to  halt  and  rest  for  a  few 
days,  while  he  made  a  reconnoissance.  He  pitched 
his  camp  a  quarter  of  a  league  from  the  river,  in  a 
small  wood  of  beautiful  trees  that  stood  on  the 
banks  of  a  small  bayou,  and  sent  horsemen  up  and 


262  Hernando  de  Soto 

down  the  river  to  look  for  a  ford,  and  to  find  out 
what  villages  were  on  the  other  side. 

The  horsemen  crossed  the  river  despite  the  efforts 
of  the  Indians  to  oppose  them,  and  found  a  great 
number  of  villages  on  the  other  side,  well  stored 
with  provisions.  Moscoso  led  his  men  four  days 
later  to  the  river,  but  found  it  risen  to  such  a 
height  that  he  could  not  ford  it.  As  it  had  not 
rained  for  a  month,  he  was  much  astonished,  but 
the  Indians  told  him  that  it  often  rose  in  that  way 
without  rain  anywhere  in  the  country;  and  then  the 
Spaniards  thought  hopefully  that  it  might  be  the 
tide  of  the  sea  that  came  into  it.  The  Indians,  how 
ever,  had  never  heard  of  the  sea,  and  they  said  the 
rise  came  always  from  above.  Moscoso  returned  to 
his  camp  and  remained  there  a  week  longer,  when 
the  river  had  fallen  sufficiently  to  permit  him  to 
cross.  On  the  other  side  he  found  the  Naguatex 
village ;  but  it  was  deserted.  Here  and  in  all  this 
neighbourhood  were  found  clay  vessels l  that  were 
only  a  little  different,  says  the  chronicler,  from  those 
of  Estremoz  or  Montemor  in  Spain. 

Moscoso  camped  in  the  field  outside  the  village, 
and  sent  to  the  chief  demanding  a  guide.  The  guide 
not  coming,  he  sent  troops  to  burn  the  village  and 
capture  what  Indians  could  be  found.  Great  stores 
of  provisions  were  consumed,  and  many  Indians, 
men  and  women,  captured.  The  chief  trifled  no 
longer.  He  sent  guides  who  knew  the  language  of 

1  Recent  excavations  in  a  mound  in  Natchitoches  have  brought  to  light  a  speci 
men  of  pottery,  rarely  beautiful  in  shape  and  design  of  ornamentation. 


Towards   Mexico  263 

the  country  the  Spaniards  were  to  pass  through. 
Three  days  after  leaving  Naguatex,  the  army 
entered  the  province  of  Nissone,  the  villages  of 
which  were  poorly  inhabited  and  bare  of  food. 
Then  they  came  to  a  miserable  little  village  called 
Locane,  where  an  Indian  was  captured  who  said 
that  the  province  of  Nadacao  was  filled  with  large 
villages  well  supplied  with  corn.  Securing  a  guide, 
Moscoso  marched  to  Nadacao,  and  from  thence  to 
the  next  province,  Socotino,  passing  through  Ayas,1 
where  the  Indians  in  a  large  band  made  a  stout 
resistance,  keeping  the  army  fighting  the  best  part 
of  the  day  and  wounding  many  horses  and  men. 
The  people  of  this  region  told  Moscoso  that  they 
had  heard  Indians  talk  of  having  seen  other  Span 
iards.  This  cheered  the  hearts  of  the  soldiers 
mightily,  for  they  thought  that  it  meant  that  they 
were  close  enough  to  New  Spain  for  the  Spaniards 
to  have  come  from  thence ;  and  if  that  were  so,  they 
felt  that  they  held  it  in  their  power  to  get  out  of 
Florida  as  soon  as  they  pleased. 

Reaching  a  depopulated  neutral  region,  the  guide 
led  them  along  an  open  high  road  through  it ;  but 
after  that,  for  three  days,  the  road  grew  fainter,  then 
narrowed  into  a  path,  and  then  ended.  And  for 
six  days  the  army  marched  in  an  apparently  limit 
less  jungle.  Food  gave  out,  there  was  no  corn  nor 
meat,  nor  anything  else  to  eat  save  herbs  and  roots. 

1  These  names  are  given  as  spelled  in  the  Spanish  chronicles.  They  are  easily 
recognized,  by  the  sound,  as  the  current  ones  of  to-day  in  northwestern  Louisiana  and 
northeastern  Texas. 


264  Hernando  de  Soto 

Luis  de  Moscoso  summoned  the  guide  before  him, 
and,  incensed  at  his  insolent  bearing  and  answers, 
had  him  tied  to  a  tree  and  the  dogs  loosed  upon 
him.  When  the  brutes  began  to  tear  his  flesh,  the 
Indian  implored  that  they  be  taken  off,  promising 
to  tell  the  truth.  The  dogs  were  leashed  again,  and 
he  confessed  that  his  chief  had  ordered  him  to  lead 
the  Spaniards  astray  in  the  forest,  and  to  leave 
them  there  to  die  of  hunger.  But  he  pledged  him 
self  now,  if  his  life  were  spared,  to  guide  the  army 
honestly  out  of  the  forest  in  three  days,  his  life  to 
be  forfeited  if  he  failed  to  keep  his  word.  Luis 
de  Moscoso  and  his  officers  were  too  furious  at  the 
desperate  condition  they  were  in,  to  listen  to  the 
man's  prayers  or  promises.  The  dogs  were  loosed 
upon  him  again ;  and  as  they  were  hungry  they 
soon  finished  him. 

The  Spaniards  were  satisfied  in  their  vengeance, 
but  they  were  worse  off  than  before,  for  they  now 
had  absolutely  no  clue  to  the  way  out  of  the  forest 
and  were  indeed  lost.  Confused  and  perplexed, 
they  began  at  once  to  repent  of  killing  the  Indian, 
who,  if  they  had  been  less  foolish,  might,  as  he 
promised,  have  extricated  them.  They  could  think 
of  nothing  else  to  do  but  to  carry  out  the  plans  he 
had  outlined ;  and  so  giving  him  dead  the  belief 
they  had  refused  him  living,  they  turned  to  the 
west,  and  pushed  straight  on  without  deviating  a 
hand's  breadth  on  either  side.  After  three  days  of 
marching  with  ever-increasing  hunger  tearing  at 
their  vitals,  they  saw  the  forest  thin  and  the  ground 


Towards  Mexico  265 

rise  in  hills ;  and  at  last  they  looked  down  upon  an 
inhabited  country.  But  when  they  came  to  it,  they 
found  that  the  Indians  had  all  fled,  that  the  soil 
was  lean  and  sterile,  and  that  the  villages  were 
only  groups  of  miserable  little  hovels  rather  than 
cabins.  Nevertheless  they  found  fresh  meat  in 
them;  and  again  they  wondered  where  it  could  have 
come  from,  as  they  had  never  found  any  cattle  alive  ; 
and  as  before  the  Indians  would  not  tell  them.  On 
account  of  the  meat  and  hides  found  there  and  in 
all  this  region,  they  called  it  Los  Vacqueros,  or  the 
region  of  the  cowherd,  and  more  than  twenty  days 
were  they  in  marching  through  its  sterile  extent, 
suffering  all  the  time  for  food.  The  little  corn 
the  Indians  had  they  had  buried  in  the  woods, 
and  the  famished  Spaniards,  worn  out  at  the  end  of 
a  long  day's  march,  had  to  burrow  and  dig,  hunting 
something  to  eat. 

All  through  this  dreadful  region  the  Spaniards  saw 
a  strange  thing  —  little  crosses  of  wood  set  up  on 
the  tops  of  the  cabins ;  there  was  hardly  a  cabin 
without  one.  In  their  mystification  they  could  not 
account  for  it  until  those  who  knew  Cabeza  de 
Vaca's  narrative  gave  the  explanation.  These  In 
dians  had  heard  of  the  miracles  and  cures  which 
Cabeza  de  Vaca  relates  he  was  driven  to  perform 
to  save  his  life  (and  by  the  same  token,  made  it  so 
precious  and  valuable  to  the  savages  as  to  defeat 
his  purpose,  for  they  would  not  then  give  him  up 
or  release  him),  and  the  fame  of  the  cross  as  a 
medicine  had  been  passed  among  them  from  hand 


266  Hernando  de  Soto 

to  hand  and  from  mouth  to  mouth,  as  any  sovereign 
specific  would  be  to-day.  They  had  for  this  rea 
son  made  crosses  and  put  them  over  their  houses 
to  ward  off  disease  and  peril  from  the  inmates. 
This  shows,  says  the  chronicler,  how  easily  they 
could  have  been  converted  to  Christianity.  The 
Spaniards  could  not  believe  that  Cabeza  de  Vaca 
had  himself  crossed  that  region  of  country,  because, 
as  they  remembered  his  accounts,  he  had  passed 
only  through  the  regions  of  gold  and  silver  and 
precious  stones,  —  regions  the  secret  of  whose  riches 
he  was  afraid  to  divulge,  regions  that  the  eyes  of 
these  Spaniards  had  never  yet  come  to  the  sight  of. 
At  last  a  province  called  Guasco  was  reached, 
where  was  found  corn  enough  to  load  all  the  horses 
and  Indian  pack  bearers,  and  thence  the  army 
marched  to  a  village  called  Naquisco9a,  where,  some 
Indians  said,  they  had  heard  of  Christians.  The  cap 
tain-general  had  them  forthwith  tortured  to  extract 
more  information  from  them,  and  only  learned  that 
they  were  from  the  village  called  Na9acahoz.  The 
army  at  once  set  out  for  Na9acahoz,  which  it  reached 
in  two  days.  Among  some  women  captured,  there 
was  one  who  said  she  had  seen  Christians  and  had 
been  taken  by  them  and  had  run  away.  Moscoso 
ordered  some  horsemen  to  take  the  woman  to  the 
place  where  she  said  she  had  seen  the  Christians,  and 
to  find  out  if  there  were  any  signs  thereabouts  of 
them  or  their  horses  ;  but,  after  going  three  or  four 
leagues,  the  woman  said  her  tale  was  a  lie,  and  so  was 
all  that  the  Indians  had  told  of  seeing  Christians. 


Towards  Mexico  267 

As  the  country  was  bare  of  corn,  and  further  west 
no  sign  could  be  seen  of  human  habitation,  and  in 
fact  a  great  desert  seemed  opening  before  it,  the 
army  turned  in  its  tracks  and  went  back  to  Guasco. 
There  the  Indians  told  Moscoso  that  ten  days' 
journey  from  there  was  a  river  called  Daycao,1  near 
which  they  often  went  hunting  for  deer,  and  where 
they  had  seen  people,  but  they  did  not  know  what 
villages  were  there. 

On  again  the  Spaniards  marched  until  they  came 
to  this  river.  Moscoso  sent  horsemen  over  it  to 
reconnoitre  the  other  bank ;  they  came  upon  but 
one  small  village,  whose  people  at  sight  of  them 
took  to  flight,  leaving  behind  all  they  had,  which 
was  nothing,  said  the  Spaniards,  but  misery  and 
poverty.  In  all  the  cabins  only  a  half  a  peck  of 
corn  was  found.  Two  Indians  were  captured  and 
brought  to  the  captain-general ;  but  there  was  no 
one  in  the  camp  who  could  understand  their  lan 
guage. 

The  army  was  worn  out  with  hunger  and  fatigue, 
and  Moscoso  and  his  officers  decided  to  advance  no 
further  until  they  knew  what  lay  before  them.  Far 
away  to  the  west,  could  be  seen  only  the  outline  of 
high  mountains  and  the  shading  of  great  forests, 
which  they  knew  meant  a  despoblado.  Companies 
of  scouts  were  given  food  and  sent  in  different  direc 
tions.  They  all  returned  by  the  end  of  fifteen  days, 
bringing  almost  all  the  same  report :  a  sterile  land 

1  The  name  suggests  Caddodaquiou,  abbreviated  into  Caddo,  the  name  of  a  parish 
of  northwestern  Louisiana,  traversed  by  Red  River. 


268  Hernando  de  Soto 

and  scant  population,  and  the  further  they  went  the 
poorer  were  both  population  and  country.  That 
was  what  they  had  seen.  What  they  heard  from 
captured  Indians,  was  still  more  discouraging;  that 
although  there  were  Indians  in  the  country  ahead, 
they  did  not  live  in  villages  nor  dwell  in  houses  nor 
plant  fields  ;  but  they  were  a  roving  people  who  went 
about  in  bands,  living  on  wild  fruits,  herbs,  and 
roots,  and  by  their  fishing  and  hunting;  wander 
ing  from  one  quarter  to  the  other,  according  to  the 
proper  season  for  game.  And  this  was  the  country 
the  army  had  to  go  through  to  reach  Mexico. 


CHAPTER   XXII 

BACK    TO    THE    MISSISSIPPI 

MOSCOSO  called  a  council  of  the  officers  and 
principal  cavaliers,  to  discuss  what  had 
best  be  done.  They  decided  that  it  was 
best  to  return  to  the  Great  River  at  Guachoya,  where 
they  would  surely  find  corn,  and  there  during  the 
winter  to  make  boats,  and  next  summer  go  down  the 
river  to  the  sea,  and  along  the  sea-coast  to  New 
Spain.  Although  this  seemed  difficult,  and  of 
doubtful  success,  yet  it  was  the  only  thing  left 
them  to  do,  for,  they  reasoned,  by  land  they  could 
not  go  further,  that  the  country  beyond  the  Dacayo 
River  was  the  one  mentioned  by  Cabeza  de  Vaca  in 
his  relation,  where  "  the  Indians  live  like  Arabs,  hav 
ing  no  settled  place,  and  feed  upon  tunas  or  roots 
of  the  field,  and  on  wild  beasts  that  they  killed/' 
If  this  were  so,  and  the  Spaniards  attempted  to  pass 
the  winter  there,  they  could  not  choose  but  perish. 
They  were  already  in  the  beginning  of  October,  and 
it  was  urged  if  they  stayed  where  they  were  any 
longer,  they  would  not  be  able  to  return  for  the 
rains  and  snow.  The  decision  was  made  public  in 
the  army,  and  orders  given  to  prepare  at  once  for 
the  return  march. 

269 


270  Hernando  de  Soto 

There  were  many  among  the  soldiers  who  were 
greatly  dissatisfied  with  the  plan,  for  they  held  that 
the  sea  voyage,  with  the  poor  means  they  had  for 
making  boats,  was  as  doubtful  and  dangerous  as  con 
tinuing  by  land.  They  still  hoped  that  even  yet 
they  might  find  a  land  of  gold  and  silver  before  they 
reached  Mexico,  for,  said  they,  Cabeza  de  Vaca  re 
lated,  that  after  he  had  found  clothes  made  of  cotton 
wool,  he  saw  gold  and  silver  and  stones  of  value.  In 
Guasco,  turquoise  stones  and  mantles  of  cotton  wool 
had  been  found,  which  the  Indians  by  signs  indicated 
came  from  the  west ;  and  they  reasoned  that,  by 
pushing  on  towards  the  west,  they  must  of  necessity 
come  to  where  Cabeza  de  Vaca  had  been. 

Moscoso  calculated  that  they  had  come  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  leagues  from  the  Great  River;  and 
seeking  information  how,  on  the  return,  to  avoid 
the  despoblados  passed  in  the  advance,  he  learned 
that  a  curve  to  the  right  of  the  former  route  would 
be  the  shorter  way  back,  but  that  it  led  through 
many  bad  places  and  stretches  of  uninhabited  coun 
try.  To  the  left,  the  road  would  be  longer,  but  it 
passed  through  an  inhabited  country,  where  plenty 
of  corn  was  to  be  found  and  Indians  for  guides. 
This  last  route  was  decided  upon,  and  the  army  set 
out.  And  now  the  Spaniards  put  what  strength  was 
left  in  their  bodies  into  their  feet,  and  strained  by 
longer  and  longer  marches  to  get  over  the  ground 
and  out  of  the  country  of  Los  Vacqueros,  with  every 
care  not  to  irritate  the  Indians,  so  as  to  avoid  any 
delay  that  might  arise  from  fighting. 


Back  to  the   Mississippi  271 

But  the  Indians  were  far  from  letting  them  go  in 
peace ;  on  the  contrary,  they  seldom  let  them  go  for 
the  space  of  an  hour  without  an  attack.  By  day 
they  swarmed  out  from  ambushes  behind  the  trees 
of  the  forest,  or  if  in  the  open  country  from  under 
grass  with  which  they  covered  themselves  so  cun 
ningly  that  they  could  not  be  distinguished  from 
the  ground ;  jumping  up  under  the  very  feet  of  the 
army.  By  night  they  crept  into  the  camp  like  liz 
ards,  the  sentinels  knowing  nothing  until  they  felt 
an  arrow  in  their  backs,  or  their  horses  drop  under 
them.  Finally  when,  footsore  and  weary,  with  a 
sigh  of  relief,  they  were  crossing  the  last  stream  and 
boundary  line  of  the  cursed  territory  to  go  into 
camp  in  the  plain  beyond,  they  had  to  stand  a  brisk, 
fresh  attack  from  them,  made  with  all  the  daring  and 
spirit  of  new  foes.  The  cavalier  Sanjurge  was  fight 
ing  about  the  middle  of  the  stream,  when  an  Indian 
from  a  thicket  behind  aimed  an  arrow  with  such 
skill  and  sent  it  with  such  force  that  it  went 
through  his  coat  of  mail  and  saddle  like  a  spike 
driven  by  a  sledge-hammer,  and  nailed  Sanjurge 
fast  to  his  horse.  The  frightened  horse  sprang 
through  the  water  and  galloped  up  the  bank 
into  the  plain,  rearing,  plunging,  and  kicking  to  get 
rid  of  arrow  and  master  too,  if  he  could.  Com 
rades  hurried  to  Sanj urge's  assistance ;  finding  him 
spitted  to  saddle  and  horse,  they  led  him  as  he 
was  to  where  the  camp  was  being  pitched,  and  there, 
raising  him  as  carefully  as  they  could,  and  cutting 
the  arrow  between  him  and  the  saddle,  they  freed 


272  Hernando  de  Soto 

him  and  laid  him  upon  the  grass,  and  left  him 
stretched  there,  recommending  him  to  the  benefit 
of  his  own  skill. 

It  must  be  explained  that  among  many  kinds  of 
skill  that  Sanjurge  possessed,  was  one  of  curing 
wounds  with  rags  and  oil  and  certain  words  that  he 
called  healing  words ;  and  during  the  expedition 
he  had  made  many  such  cures,  to  the  great  wonder 
and  admiration  of  the  soldiers,  who  thought  he 
had  a  particular  gift  from  God  for  the  purpose. 
But  since  the  battle  of  Mauvila,  when  all  the  oil 
and  cloth  had  been  burned,  Sanjurge  had  given  up 
curing,  saying  his  words  were  of  no  good  without 
rags  and  oil.  He  himself  had  since  been  wounded 
twice,  once  by  an  arrow  that  had  gone  in  at  the  in 
step  and  come  out  at  the  ankle,  from  which  he  was 
four  months  in  getting  well ;  the  other  time  in  the 
knee-joint,  the  head  of  the  arrow  breaking  off  in  the 
joint.  He  suffered  such  martyrdom  this  time  while 
the  surgeon  was  getting  the  arrow-head  out,  was  so 
exasperated  at  the  harshness  and  cruelty  of  the 
man,  and  at  his  awkward  hands,  that  he  furiously 
told  him,  as  the  greatest  insult  he  could  think  of  at 
the  moment,  that  if  ever  he  were  wounded  again,  he 
would  not  call  upon  him,  even  if  he  knew  that  he 
had  to  die  for  it.  The  surgeon,  to  satisfy  his  feel 
ings,  retorted  that  even  if  he  knew  that  he  could 
save  Sanjurge's  life,  he  would  never  again  attend  him. 
And  now  Sanjurge  could  not  call  upon  the  surgeon, 
and  the  surgeon,  although  he  knew  that  Sanjurge 
was  wounded,  would  not  go  to  him. 


Back  to  the  Mississippi  273 

In  this  dire  strait,  therefore,  Sanjurge  had  to  do 
the  best  he  could  for  himself;  so  in  place  of  oil  he 
took  some  hog's  lard  and  in  place  of  cloth  rags,  rags 
from  an  old  Indian  mantle  —  for  it  was  many  a  long 
day  since  the  Spaniards  had  had  a  shirt  or  coat  of 
wool  or  linen  among  them ;  and  his  remedies  proved 
so  efficient,  that  in  the  four  days  that  the  army 
rested  in  camp  on  account  of  the  wounded,  his  wound 
healed.  And  so  on  the  fifth  day  when  starting  upon 
the  march,  Sanjurge  jumped  into  his  saddle  as  well 
as  ever,  and  to  show  the  Spaniards  that  he  was  really 
cured,  he  galloped  his  horse  along  first  on  one  side 
of  the  army  and  then  on  the  other,  calling  out : 
"  Kill  me,  Christians,  kill  me,  for  a  traitor  and  a  false 
friend  to  you,  for  not  curing  you,  thinking  that  the 
value  of  my  remedies  was  in  the  oil  and  wool,  and 
so  letting  more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  of  you  die/' 

Twenty  days  the  army  travelled  towards  the 
south ;  then,  thinking  that  they  were  falling  too 
much  below  their  goal,  the  village  of  Guachoya,  they 
curved  again  towards  the  north,  and  thus  crossed 
the  road  they  had  travelled  going  west.  Along  here 
they  had  sore  trouble  to  find  food,  for  wherever  they 
had  passed  before  they  had  so  stripped  the  country 
that  the  Indians,  now,  at  their  approach,  hid  all  their 
corn.  But  the  villages  they  had  burned  in  Nagua- 
tex  were  repaired  and  refilled  with  corn,  and  all  the 
stretch  of  country,  as  on  the  westward  journey,  was 
well  populated  and  plentiful  of  food.  Striking  the 
river  at  Ayas,  they  crossed  it  and  followed  it  down 
wards. 


274  Hernando  de  Soto 

The  end  of  November  overtook  them  ;  and  the 
winter  set  in  with  heavy  cold  and  rains  and  keen  winds. 
Faster  and  faster  the  men  trudged,  more  and  more 
dogged  in  their  endurance.  Their  march  was  not 
even  a  flight  now,  it  was  a  rout.  Each  day,  no 
matter  what  the  weather  was,  a  stage  of  distance  was 
laid  behind,  and  when  they  reached  their  camping 
place  at  night,  covered  with  mud  and  dripping  with 
water,  they  had  to  go  out  again  and  hunt  for  food, 
and  most  times  found  and  gained  it  only  at  the 
cost  of  life  and  blood.  The  winter  still  advancing, 
heavier  rains  and  sometimes  storms  of  snow  swelled 
the  streams  so  that  even  the  smallest  could  not  be 
forded,  but  had  to  be  crossed  on  rafts,  which  took 
time ;  for  wood  had  to  be  collected  and  the  rafts 
made  with  the  Indians  continually  harassing  and 
tormenting  them. 

After  such  days,  when  at  night  the  Spaniards 
found  dry  ground  to  rest  upon,  they  gave  thanks  to 
God,  for  most  generally  the  earth  was  covered  with 
water,  and  the  cavaliers  slept  or  rested  until  daylight 
on  horseback,  never  dismounting.  As  for  the  foot 
men,  standing  in  mud  and  water  to  their  knees, 
imagination,  says  the  chronicler,  must  tell  how  they 
passed  the  night.  And  what  with  the  constant  wad 
ing  in  water  and  crossing  of  bayous,  their  one  gar 
ment  of  skin,  belted  around  the  waist,  was  always 
wet ;  barefooted  and  barelegged,  no  food,  no  sleep, 
no  rest,  tired,  spent,  it  was  no  wonder  they  sickened 
and  died,  —  cavaliers,  soldiers,  slaves,  —  more  than 
one  hundred  good  men,  among  them  the  last  priest, 


Back  to  the   Mississippi  275 

and  with  them  eighty  stout  horses.  Hardly  any 
slaves  escaped ;  and  as  some  of  these  had  been  with 
their  masters,  serving  them  faithfully  and  devotedly 
since  their  advent  in  the  land,  they  were  missed 
and  wept  for  as  comrades.  In  the  haste  to  get  on 
there  was  no  stop  for  sickness  or  death.  Most  of 
the  victims  died  on  foot,  while  walking  along,  and 
the  living  would  hardly  take  time  to  bury  the  dead. 
Many  were  left  as  they  expired  by  the  wayside,  and 
those  who  were  buried  received  hardly  enough  earth 
to  cover  them.  But  with  all  these  miseries  and 
afflictions  the  soldiers  kept  up  their  watch  by  day 
and  night,  and  their  fighting  with  the  Indians,  who 
were  still  striking  at  them  at  every  step  of  the  way. 
The  river  led  them  at  last  to  Anilco,  but  there  was 
no  food  in  Anilco.  The  Indians  had  not  planted 
their  fields  since  their  disaster  in  the  spring;  and 
the  Spaniards,  who  counted  upon  supplying  them 
selves  there,  were  dumfounded  with  disappointment. 
The  discontented  ones  did  not  fail  to  make  good 
their  point  now,  that  it  was  bad  council  to  have 
come  back  and  not  to  have  followed  their  fortune 
to  the  west.  By  sea,  they  reiterated,  unless  God 
worked  a  miracle  for  them,  it  would  be  impossible 
to  save  themselves  without  pilot  or  chart,  or  aught 
to  make  sails  ;  without  hemp  for  ropes,  or  oakum  to 
calk  the  boats ;  without  tar  to  pitch  them,  without 
nails  to  fasten  the  timbers  together.  And,  as  in 
happiness  man  sees  ever  a  greater  possible  happi 
ness  beyond  to  disturb  his  enjoyment,  and  in  mis 
fortune  he  sees  ever  greater  possible  depths  beneath 


276  Hernando  de  Soto 

to  discourage  him,  these  predicted  that  it  must 
beyond  peradventure  happen  to  them  as  it  had 
happened  to  Pamphilo  de  Narvaez. 

But  the  discontented  ones,  as  the  discontented 
ever  do,  forgot  the  help  of  God,  and  now,  says 
the  pious  chronicler,  it  pleased  Him,  in  His  good 
ness,  to  send  the  Indians  of  Anilco  peacefully  to 
tell  them,  that  a  two  days'  journey  thence,  near  the 
Great  River,  lay  a  pair  of  villages  which  the  Span 
iards  had  never  heard  of,  called  Aminoya.  Whether 
there  was  corn  there,  the  Anilco  men  could  not  say, 
for  they  were  at  war  with  the  men  of  Aminoya,  but 
their  country  was  fruitful,  and  they  would  be  glad 
with  the  favour  of  the  Spaniards  to  go  and  despoil 
it.  The  captain-general  consenting,  a  body  of  horse 
and  foot  men  set  out  at  once  with  a  party  of  Anilco 
warriors.  In  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day,  they 
came  out  of  the  forest  into  a  great  clearing,  where 
two  large  villages  rose  in  sight  of  one  another,  and 
there  in  front  of  the  villages  flowed  the  longed-for 
Great  River.  The  gaunt,  haggard,  famished,  sick 
Spaniards,  when  they  saw  it,  wept.  Word  was  sent 
to  Moscoso,  and  he  hurried  up  with  the  army. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 


AMINOYA 


AS  soon  as  Moscoso  saw  the  villages,  he  de 
termined  to  capture  them.  Forming  his 
men  in  battle  array  —  and,  far  from  being 
able  to  fight,  the  men  could  hardly  stand  —  he 
commanded  the  trumpets  to  sound  the  charge.  By 
the  blessing  of  God,  as  the  Spaniards  tell  the  story, 
the  Indians  fled,  abandoning  their  homes.  The 
army  then  advanced  upon  the  other  place,  and 
took  it  with  the  same  facility.  When  the  soldiers 
spread  themselves  through  the  villages,  their  won 
der  was  that  such  small  places  could  contain  so 
much  food  —  corn  and  grain  of  all  kinds,  vege 
tables,  grapes,  plums,  pumpkins;  truly  they  said, 
if  they  had  intended  to  pass  the  winter  there,  and  had 
busied  themselves  all  summer  collecting  provisions, 
they  could  not  have  amassed  so  much.  And  this 
also  they  attributed  to  a  particular  mercy  of  God ; 
for,  as  they  confessed  to  one  another,  if  they  had 
not  found  such  good  food  and  such  good  cabins  to 
winter  in,  to  a  certainty  they  would  have  all  died 
in  short  order,  because  in  their  wretched  condi 
tion  they  were  unable  to  do  anything  for  life  or 

277 


278  Hernando  de  Soto 

safety.  And  even  with  their  good  fare  and  com 
fort,  more  than  fifty  Spaniards,  too  exhausted  to  re 
cuperate,  died  of  past  want  in  the  midst  of  present 
plenty,  —  among  them  the  noble  Portuguese  cava 
lier,  Andreas  de  Vasconselas,  and,  alas  for  Dona 
Leonora  !  the  handsome,  gallant,  dashing,  daring 
Nufio  de  Tobar.  Perhaps  in  the  next  world,  as 
says  the  chronicler,  he  may  have  gained  the  for 
giveness  and  pardon  which,  despite  his  valour  and 
knightly  deeds,  his  devotion  and  loyalty,  De  Soto 
would  never  accord  him  in  this. 

For  greater  convenience  and  security,  it  was  de 
cided  to  join  the  two  villages  together,  so  that  the 
force  might  not  be  divided  in  case  of  emergency. 
The  soldiers  were  at  once  set  to  dismantling  one 
village  and  removing  the  timbers,  thatchings,  and 
provisions  to  the  other,  which  was  also  well  for 
tified.  But  with  all  the  will  and  energy  the  men 
could  put  into  the  task,  so  weak  and  exhausted 
were  they,  it  took  them  twenty  days  to  accomplish 
this.  However,  under  good  shelters,  and  with 
abundance  of  good  food,  the  sick  —  and  they  com 
prised  nearly  the  whole  army  —  began  to  conva 
lesce;  and  the  natives  were  so  kindly  disposed, 
that,  although  they  had  not  made  any  regular  peace 
with  the  Spaniards,  they  did  not  oppose  them  in 
any  way,  nor  molest  them,  nor  harass  them  even 
with  false  alarms  during  the  night. 

As  soon  as  health  and  strength  were  restored 
sufficient  for  work,  orders  were  given  to  cut  timber 
for  the  building  of  the  boats.  Master  Francisco, 


Aminoya  279 

whom  it  was  God's  greatest  mercy  to  have  brought 
safely  through  all  the  hardships,  for  he  was  the  only 
man  in  the  army  who  knew  how  to  build  ships, — 
Master  Francisco  was  made  head  master  over  all  the 
workmen,  in  fact,  over  the  captain-general  himself. 
The  timber  was  cut,  and  a  Portuguese,  who  had  once 
been  a  prisoner  in  Fez,  and  had  learned  there  to  use 
the  long  saw,  now  taught  others,  and  together  they 
sawed  the  trees  into  planks.  Fortunately,  a  long 
saw  had  been  preserved  through  all  the  marches. 
A  forge  was  set  up,  and  all  the  chains,  and  whatever 
bits  of  iron  could  be  found  in  the  camp,  were  col 
lected  to  be  made  into  nails  ;  the  stirrups,  replaced  by 
stirrups  of  wood,  were  put  aside  to  turn  into  anchors. 
Four  or  five  Biscayan  carpenters  were  still  alive,  and 
two  men  of  Sardinia  were  found  who  could  calk. 
The  only  cooper  fell  sick,  and  was  at  the  point  of 
death  for  a  long  time.  But  it  pleased  God  also  to 
send  him  his  health,  and,  although  very  weak,  he 
made  the  casks  to  hold  the  water. 

While  these  beginnings  were  being  made,  the 
chief  of  Anilco,  fearing  that  his  enemies  of  Gua- 
choya  might  again  secure  the  help  of  the  Span 
iards  against  him,  now  sought  to  secure  for  himself 
their  favour  and  protection.  Not  daring  to  trust 
himself  in  the  hands  of  the  strangers,  he  sent 
in  his  stead  a  near  relation  and  his  most  noted 
warrior,  the  one  who  commanded  on  all  his  war 
paths.  This  warrior  came  in  company  with  twenty- 
four  fine-looking  warriors,  followed  by  two  hundred 
Indians  to  serve  them  in  any  capacity  required,  and 


280  Hernando  de  Soto 

by  pack  bearers  loaded  with  presents  of  fruit,  fish, 
and  game.  He  gave  the  message  from  his  chief, 
ending  his  offers  of  service  and  friendship  with, 
"  Sir,  I  do  not  wish  you  to  believe  my  words,  but 
the  work  we  have  come  to  do  for  you." 

Two  days  later  came  the  chief  of  Guachoya  also 
with  presents,  for  the  news  had  spread  to  his  vil 
lage  that  the  Spaniards  had  returned  and  were  in 
quarters  in  Aminoya.  It  pleased  him  not  at  all  to 
see  his  enemy,  the  Anilco  warrior,  there  before  him, 
forestalling  him  with  service,  and  still  less  to  see 
him  receiving  from  the  Spaniards  the  compliment 
and  honour  due  a  chief.  He  at  once  entered  into 
a  spirited  rivalry  with  him  to  gain  the  gratitude  of 
the  Spaniards  ;  and  every  week  the  two  would  go 
to  their  villages,  returning  with  new  and  ever  more 
generous  presents  of  food  and  anything  else  that 
was  needed. 

Master  Francisco,  calculating  the  size  and  pro 
portions  of  the  vessels  according  to  the  number 
of  the  persons  to  be  embarked,  found  that  six  were 
necessary,  and  for  this  number  he  demanded  ma 
terials.  In  order  that  the  rains  and  other  inclem 
encies  of  the  winter  might  not  interrupt  or  disturb 
the  work,  he  commenced  by  building  four  great 
sheds,  under  which  all  the  men  toiled  together,  with 
out  any  distinction  or  difference,  each  man  hastening 
to  do  what  he  was  most  fitted  for, without  command. 
For,  as  the  hope  of  each  lay  in  the  making  of  the 
boats,  there  could  be  but  unanimity  of  mind  and 
heart  in  all.  While  some  sawed  the  logs  into 


Aminoya  281 

planks,  others  chipped  with  adzes ;  here  some  ham 
mered  iron  at  the  forge,  there  some  twisted  fibre 
into  ropes,  the  soldier  or  captain  who  did  the  most 
work  at  what  he  set  about  to  do  being,  for  the  time, 
the  man  most  honoured  by  the  others. 

So  they  kept  busy  during  February,  March,  and 
April,  the  Anilco  warrior  all  the  while  proving  him 
self  the  best  of  friends,  offering  with  alacrity  to  pro 
vide  anything  that  was  needed  to  help  the  work 
along,  collecting  and  bringing  great  quantities  of 
mantles  of  fibre,  and  skin  —  the  new  ones  for  sails, 
the  old  ones  to  be  ravelled  to  calk  the  boats  —  and 
cutting  and  bringing  great  lengths  of  vines  to  be 
used  for  ropes.  Indeed,  the  captain-general,  his 
officers  and  men  in  their  gratitude  looked  up  to 
him  as  to  a  Hernando  de  Soto  himself;  and  the 
warrior  deserved  it,  they  said,  for  in  all  respects  — 
appearance,  figure,  and  virtue  —  he  was  a  gentleman. 
Guachoya  also  helped  and  provided ;  but  he  did  it 
in  a  niggardly  manner,  and  the  soldiers  said  the  dif 
ference  between  his  soul  and  that  of  the  Anilco 
warrior  could  be  seen  a  mile  off.  And  from  almost 
as  great  a  distance  also  would  be  perceived  his  vex 
ation  and  jealousy  at  the  honour  and  respect  paid 
by  the  Spaniards  to  one  inferior  to  him  in  power 
and  rank ;  and  his  envy  lay  so  heavy  within  him, 
that  it  allowed  him  neither  rest  nor  ease. 

It  would  be  well  to  recall,  if,  perhaps,  it  has  been 
forgotten,  that  opposite  the  village  of  Guachoya,  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Great  River,  was  the  large  and 
powerful  province  of  Quigaltanqui,  whose  chief,  a 


182  Hernando  de  Soto 

young  warrior,  had  so  audaciously  braved  De  Soto. 
When  Quigaltanqui  heard  that  the  Spaniards  were 
above  him,  in  Aminoya,  making  boats  to  go  down 
the  river  and  across  the  seas  to  their  own  country, 
he  reasoned  that,  as  they  had  seen  so  many  and 
such  fine  lands  in  his  country,  they  could  not  help 
extolling  its  greatness  and  richness ;  and  so  they 
would  excite  the  greed  of  other  people  to  come  and 
take  it  away  from  its  natural  chiefs  and  masters. 
He  thought,  therefore,  that  it  would  be  wise  to  pre 
vent  this  by  not  permitting  the  Spaniards  to  leave 
the  country  alive,  and  to  intercept  and  kill  them  all 
in  it.  He  therefore  sent  out  messengers,  summon 
ing  together  all  the  noted  warriors  of  his  territory, 
and  declared  his  judgment  to  them,  and  asked  their 
opinion.  Quigaltanqui  was  as  much  feared  out 
side  his  territory,  as  he  was  blindly  obeyed  within. 
Without  hesitation  the  chiefs  agreed  with  him  and 
begged  him  to  lead  them  against  the  strangers,  prom 
ising  that  they  would  serve  him  until  death.  Qui 
galtanqui,  further  to  insure  his  success,  sent  messages 
to  the  chiefs  still  farther  away ;  and,  warning  them 
that  the  danger  he  feared  and  wished  to  avert  was 
the  same  for  all,  he  exhorted  them  to  leave  off  by 
gone  enmities  and  come  together  in  a  great  league,  to 
prevent  the  peril  of  strangers  penetrating  into  their 
country  and  conquering  their  lands,  and  taking 
their  wives  and  children,  and  making  slaves  of  them. 
These  chiefs  also  responded  to  Quigaltanqui  with 
the  greatest  enthusiasm,  lauding  his  judgment  and 
forethought ;  and  from  one  side  of  the  river  and 


Aminoya  283 

the  other  they  all  swore  allegiance  to  him,  each  one 
agreeing  to  collect  with  all  possible  secrecy  and  de 
spatch  as  many  men  and  canoes  as  he  could,  and 
to  make  all  other  preparations  for  a  war.  All  the 
while  they  feigned  to  be  friends  of  the  Spaniards,  and 
to  put  them  off  their  guard,  they  sent  messengers 
and  presents  to  them,  each  chief  separately,  Qui- 
galtanqui,  as  the  prime  actor,  sending  his  messen 
gers  first. 

The  captain-general,  at  first  deceived,  replied 
gratefully,  thanking  each  and  saying,  which  was  the 
truth,  how  much  he  rejoiced  to  be  at  peace  and 
friendly  with  the  Indians  ;  and  all  the  Spaniards  were 
indeed  vastly  pleased,  as  for  some  length  of  time 
past  they  had  had  their  glut  of  fighting.  Into  this 
league,  though  he  was  bidden,  the  Anilco  chief  not 
only  refused  to  enter,  but  he  commanded  his  war 
rior  to  reveal  it  to  the  Spaniards  in  time  to  put 
them  on  their  guard.  In  this  manner  they  heard 
of  it.  They  never  could  ascertain  with  any  cer 
tainty  whether  Guachoya  was  in  the  league  or  not. 
He  at  least  never  gave  any  warning  about  it,  and 
they  considered  an  attempt  which  he  made  about 
this  time  to  discredit  the  Anilco  warrior  might  have 
been  a  subtle  design  to  prevent  his  being  believed, 
should  he  ever  tell  the  Spaniards  about  the  league. 
For  as  Anilco  had  not  consented  to  enter  it,  Gua 
choya  might  well  suspect  him  of  being  an  enemy 
of  it,  and  of  betraying  it  to  the  Christians.  One 
day,  while  Moscoso,  his  officers,  Guachoya,  and  the 
Anilco  warrior  were  standing  together  in  the  work- 


284  Hernando  de  Soto 

sheds,  Guachoya,  without  any  provocation,  turning 
to  the  captain-general,  said :  "  For  a  long  time  I 
have  been  grieved  at  the  honour  that  you  and  your 
soldiers  pay  to  this  Anilco  man,  for  it  seems  to  me 
that  honour  should  be  given  according  to  station, 
and  qualities,  and  possessions,  and  in  all  three  he 
has  little  or  nothing.  He  is  poor,  and  his  father  and 
grandfather  were  poor  before  him  ;  he  is  the  subject 
and  servant  of  a  chief  like  myself,  and  I  have  war 
riors  as  good  as  he  and  superior  to  him  in  birth  and 
possessions.  I  tell  you  this  that  you  may  know 
whom  it  is  you  are  favouring,  so  that  you  shall  not 
put  so  much  faith  in  his  words,  and  may  be  on 
your  guard." 

While  Guachoya  was  speaking,  the  Anilco  war 
rior  made  no  sign  of  hearing  him ;  on  the  con 
trary,  without  a  word,  gesture,  or  expression  of  the 
face,  he  let  him  say  all  he  wished  to  the  end.  Then 
he  arose  and  began  to  speak,  and  as  Moscoso  com 
manded  the  interpreters  to  repeat  what  he  said, 
without  suppressing  a  word,  he  spoke  slowly  and 
distinctly,  waiting  at  the  end  of  each  sentence  for  it 
to  be  translated.  "  Guachoya,  without  any  reason 
whatever,  you  have  tried  to  insult  me  before  the 
captain-general  and  his  soldiers,  when  you  should, 
on  the  contrary,  have  paid  honour  to  me  for  what 
you  know  and  what  I  shall  tell  now  before  you. 
You  say  that  I  am  poor,  and  so  were  my  father  and 
grandfather.  You  say  the  truth  ;  but  they  were  not 
so  poor  as  you  make  out,  for  they  always  had  enough 
of  their  own  to  feed  themselves  ;  and  I,  through  my 


Aminoya  285 

good  fortune  against  you  and  other  chiefs  like  you, 
have  gained  enough  and  more  than  enough  for  my 
self  and  my  family.  When  you  say  that  I  am  of 
base  blood,  you  know  well  that  you  lie ;  for,  although 
my  father  and  grandfather  were  not  chiefs,  my  great 
grandfather  and  ancestors  were,  so  that  in  family  I 
am  as  good  as  you,  and  as  good  as  any  other  chief 
in  the  land.  You  say  that  I  am  the  subject  of 
another.  You  say  the  truth ;  we  cannot  all  be  chiefs. 
But  it  is  also  true  that  neither  my  chief,  Anilco,  nor 
his  father,  nor  his  grandfather,  has  ever  treated  me 
or  mine  like  servants,  but  like  kinsmen ;  and  we 
have  never  given  them  low  service,  but  the  highest. 
As  you  know,  I  had  hardly  passed  my  twentieth 
year  when  Anilco  chose  me  for  his  warrior  chief, 
and  that  for  twenty  years  in  peace  or  war  I  have 
been  the  first  person  in  the  tribe  after  Anilco.  And 
I  have  won  every  battle  that  I  fought  against  his 
enemies ;  against  your  father  and  all  his  warriors, 
and  against  you,  for  I  have  conquered  you,  and  capt 
ured  you  and  your  two  brothers,  and  all  your  best 
warriors  —  your  land,  and  everything  they  and  you 
possessed.  If  I  had  chosen  then,  I  could  have  taken 
your  lands  from  you  and  kept  them  for  myself,  for 
there  was  no  one  in  the  length  and  breadth  of  them 
to  prevent  me.  But  not  only  did  I  not  do  this, 
but  instead  I  feasted  you,  and  your  brothers,  and 
your  warriors,  and  let  you  go  free  on  your  promise. 
Last  year,  when  you  broke,  as  you  did,  your  promises, 
I  had  a  mind  to  take  you  again  and  bring  you  back 
into  captivity,  as  I  shall  do  when  the  Spaniards  are 


286  Hernando  de  Soto 

gone  out  of  the  land  ;  for  under  their  favour  you 
came  to  the  village  of  Anilco  and  burned  his  houses, 
for  which  you  will  pay  well ;  that  I  promise  you. 
But  it  does  not  beseem  men  to  quarrel  by  words 
like  women  and  children  ;  let  us  go  to  arms  and 
prove  which  one  of  the  two,  by  virtue  of  strength 
and  courage,  merits  to  be  the  chief  over  the  other. 
This  Great  River,  going  down,  passes  through  your 
territory,  but  on  this  side  of  your  territory  is  the 
river  that  passes  through  my  territory.  Let  us, 
you  and  me,  get  into  a  canoe,  and  start  down  the 
river  together,  and  he  who  proves  himself  the  best 
man  on  the  way,  he  shall  take  the  canoe  and  go 
on  to  his  village.  If  you  kill  me,  you  will  have 
avenged  yourself  like  a  warrior.  If  I  kill  you,  then 
I  shall  get  all  the  satisfaction  I  want  for  what  you 
have  said  against  me."  Guachoya  did  not  answer 
a  word.  Whereupon,  Moscoso  and  his  officers 
thought  all  the  more  of  the  Anilco  warrior,  and 
treated  him  even  with  more  respect  than  before, 
and  Guachoya  with  less. 

When  the  Spaniards  took  possession  of  Aminoya, 
they  found  in  one  of  the  cabins  an  old  woman ;  too 
old  she  was  to  fly  with  the  rest  of  her  people.  She 
asked  them  what  they  were  coming  to  her  village 
for.  They  said  to  pass  the  winter  there.  Then 
she  asked  them  what  they  expected  to  do  with 
themselves  and  their  horses  in  the  high  water,  for 
every  fourteen  years  the  Great  River  rose  and  over 
flowed  its  banks,  and  covered  all  the  land,  and  that 
the  natives  took  refuge  from  it  in  the  tops  of  their 


Aminoya  287 

houses,  and  that  year  was  the  fourteenth  year.  At 
this  the  Spaniards  laughed  very  much,  and  then,  as 
they  said,  cast  it  to  the  winds.  The  month  of 
March  came,  and  the  Spaniards  in  their  eagerness 
to  get  out  of  the  country  were  working  with  might 
and  main,  not  giving  themselves  a  moment's  respite 
or  rest,  and  the  Anilco  warrior  was  still  going  inces 
santly  backwards  and  forwards  between  the  camp 
and  his  village  to  get  what  was  needed. 

And,  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  Quigaltanqui 
and  his  allies  in  their  determination  to  prevent  the 
strangers  leaving  the  country  were  no  whit  lazier; 
each  chief  of  them  was  also  with  might  and  main 
levying  men  and  collecting  canoes.  All  was  at  last 
in  readiness  to  assault  the  camp  and  burn  the  boats 
and  massacre  the  Spaniards.  The  critical  moment 
approached,  and  as  usual  with  the  Indians  it  was 
accompanied  by  sinister  signs,  looks,  and  winks,  and 
incautious  words.  The  Indian  women  secretly  told 
their  masters  to  be  on  guard.  At  night  when  the 
weather  was  clear,  the  paddling  of  canoes  could  be 
heard,  and  a  great  murmuring  from  over  the  river 
as  from  a  camping  place ;  and  from  point  to  point 
along  the  bank  signal  fires  were  lighted. 

To  all  of  it  God,  says  the  chronicler,  put  an  end 
by  sending  a  most  tremendous  flood,  —  the  high 
water  predicted  by  the  old  Indian  woman.  The 
water  began  to  rise,  and  rose  steadily  day  after  day, 
until  its  current,  pouring  down  with  terrific  force 
and  swiftness,  filled  the  great  hollow  space  between 
its  banks,  then  rose,  and  rose,  until  it  lay  smooth 


288  Hernando  de  Soto 

and  even  with  its  banks.  And  then,  on  the  eigh 
teenth  of  March,  Palm  Sunday,  while  the  Spaniards 
were  walking  in  solemn  procession,  celebrating  the 
entry  of  our  Saviour  into  Jerusalem,  the  river 
came  over  its  banks,  and  began  to  spread  over  the 
country,  creeping  further  and  further  inland  day  by 
day  and  night  by  night.  Ten  days  later  there  was 
no  going  about  the  village  except  in  canoes  or  on 
horseback,  and  for  forty  days  still  the  water  rose. 

A  marvellous  sight  it  was  to  the  Spaniards  to  see 
forests  and  fields  sunk  into  a  sea,  for  the  water  spread 
over  more  than  twenty  leagues  on  each  side  of  its 
banks,  and  in  all  that  extent  nothing  was  to  be  seen 
but  the  tops  of  the  houses  and  trees.  The  Span 
iards  made  rafts,  covered  with  green  boughs,  for  their 
horses,  and  they  raised  the  floors  in  their  houses, 
but  they  were  driven  from  these  up  into  the  lofts, 
where  for  two  months  they  were  cooped  up.  But 
they  did  not  cease  from  their  work  ;  they  floored 
their  dockyards,  as  they  called  their  sheds,  higher  and 
higher,  and  in  them  kept  up  their  various  tasks,  even 
to  the  burning  of  the  charcoal  for  the  forge.  The 
timber  for  the  oars  of  the  boats  was  cut  from  the 
branches  of  trees  standing  in  the  water. 

As  for  Quigaltanqui  and  his  gathering  forces, 
when  the  warriors  saw  that  an  overflow  was  upon 
them,  they  had  to  hie  away  in  their  canoes  back  to 
their  villages  to  look  after  their  women  and  children 
and  provisions,  and  to  put  them  in  places  of  safety. 
At  the  end  of  April,  the  water  began  to  fall,  but  as 
slowly  as  it  had  risen,  so  that  it  was  the  middle  of 


Aminoya  289 

May  before  the  Spaniards  could  get  about  the  vil 
lage  except  by  wading;  and  it  was  the  end  of  the 
month  before  it  returned  to  its  bed,  or,  as  the 
Spaniards  said  prettily,  to  its  mother. 

As  soon  as  the  ground  was  dry  enough  to  walk 
upon,  the  Indians  began  to  collect  their  forces  again 
upon  the  other  bank,  and  the  Anilco  chief  sent  a 
warning  to  Moscoso  that  they  were  preparing  for  an 
attack  on  a  certain  day,  which  the  Spaniards  would 
know  by  its  following  four  days  after  three  presents 
of  fish  came,  one  in  the  morning,  one  at  midday, 
and  one  in  the  evening.  To  prove  the  truth  of 
this,  Moscoso  had  one  of  the  Quigaltanqui  Indians 
who  came  to  the  village  secretly  captured  and  put 
to  torture,  and  the  confession  was  forced  that  Qui 
galtanqui  and  his  allies  would  attack  the  camp  three 
days  after  the  different  chiefs  sent  a  great  present  of 
fish,  one  present  in  the  morning,  one  at  noon,  and 
one  in  the  evening.  The  slaves  in  the  village  were 
to  steal  away  the  lances  which  stood  at  the  doors  of 
cabins  and  set  the  village  on  fire,  when  the  warriors 
ambushed  in  the  forest  were  to  rush  in  and  make 
an  end  of  the  Spaniards.  Moscoso  had  the  man 
kept  in  chains,  and  waited.  As  he  had  said,  on  a 
certain  day  there  came  to  the  camp  a  great  present 
of  fish  in  the  morning,  another  at  midday,  and  a 
third  in  the  afternoon.  Moscoso  seized  the  mes 
sengers,  band  by  band,  all  thirty  of  them;  and,  re 
solved  to  inflict  such  a  punishment  as  would  terrify 
even  the  haughty  Quigaltanqui,  he  had  the  right 
hand  of  each  warrior  cut  oft".  The  men  submitted 


290  Hernando  de  Soto 

without  a  word,  and  with  the  greatest  stoicism. 
As  soon  as  one  man's  hand  was  chopped  off, 
another  would  step  up  and  lay  his  upon  the  block, 
which  caused  great  pity  and  compassion  among  the 
lookers-on.  The  mutilated  braves  were  then  sent 
back  to  their  chiefs  with  the  message  that  the  rest 
of  them  might  come  when  they  would ;  that  the 
Spaniards  wished  for  nothing  more  than  to  meet 
them.  The  appalling  penalty  produced  the  effect 
expected  by  Moscoso ;  a  pause  of  horror  fell  over 
the  warlike  preparations  across  the  river.  And 
now  the  Spaniards,  knowing  for  a  certainty  that 
there  would  be  only  a  short  respite  for  them  before 
retaliation,  worked  as  never  before  at  their  last 
preparations.  Advantage  had  been  taken  of  the 
high  water  to  float  the  boats  into  the  river,  and 
avoid  the  strain  of  launching,  for  the  nails  and  fast 
enings  had  been  scarce  in  the  building,  and  what 
there  were,  were  not  of  the  strongest  quality.  So 
for  some  time  they  had  been  lying  at  the  bank 
under  guard  night  and  day.  Now  all  hands  were 
put  to  rigging  and  loading  them.  The  boats  were 
open  galleys,  carrying  seven  oars  to  a  side,  and  pro 
vided  with  sails  of  skin.  As  the  decks  were  not 
covered,  loose  planks  were  laid  down  for  the  men 
to  run  upon  to  trim  the  sails ;  the  cables  were  of 
vines. 

Two  sows  and  a  boar  apiece  were  given  Anilco 
and  Guachoya  and  other  friendly  chiefs,  to  breed 
from,  and  eighteen  hogs  were  reserved  alive  in  case 
of  a  stoppage  at  the  mouth  of  the  river ;  the  rest 


Aminoya  291 

were  butchered  and  the  meat  salted ;  the  lard 
mixed  with  resin  furnished  tar  for  the  outside  of  the 
boats.  Twenty  of  the  thirty  horses  that  remained 
alive  were  tied  at  night  to  stakes  and  their  veins  cut, 
and  so  left  to  bleed  to  death ;  and  their  meat,  par 
boiled,  salted,  and  dried  in  the  sun,  was  added  to 
the  store  of  food. 

The  Spaniards  would  have  had  corn  enough,  but 
the  high  water  had  caused  a  famine  in  all  the  coun 
try  round,  and  the  Indians  of  Aminoya,  whose  pro 
visions  had  been  captured  with  their  villages,  had 
absolutely  nothing  to  eat,  and  so  were  dying  of 
starvation.  They  came  in  flocks  to  the  camp,  offer 
ing  to  work  as  slaves,  hoping  that  the  Christians, 
having  taken  all  they  had,  might  bestow  a  few 
crumbs  upon  them.  So  weak  were  they  they  could 
hardly  stand,  and  there  was  so  little  flesh  on  their 
bones  that  they  looked  like  skeletons.  Many  died 
on  the  road  to  the  village  from  pure  hunger  and 
exhaustion.  Moscoso  forbade  with  severe  penalties 
the  giving  of  corn  to  them,  commanding  all  to  be 
saved  for  the  voyage ;  but  when  the  soldiers  saw  the 
misery  of  the  poor  wretches,  and  their  willingness 
to  work,  they  gave  them  a  part  of  their  own  rations. 
When  the  time  came  for  embarking,  Moscoso's 
foresight  was  seen  to  be  wise,  for  there  was  barely 
enough  corn  to  serve  their  own  needs.  The  horses 
and  hogs  were  put  into  canoes,  screened  round 
with  planks  covered  with  skins  as  a  protection 
against  arrows.  The  canoes  for  the  horses  were 
tied  two  and  two  together,  and  the  horses  stood  in 


292  Hernando  de  Soto 

them,  the  fore  feet  in  one,  the  hind  feet  in  the  other. 
Besides  these,  each  boat  carried  an  empty  canoe 
in  tow.  Two  days  before  the  start,  all  the  Indians 
in  the  village  were  dismissed,  and  when  they  were 
gone  all  the  slaves  were  set  free.  But  some  of  them, 
the  first  captured  in  Florida,  and  brought  along  from 
its  most  distant  provinces,  surviving  all  the  hard 
ships  and  ill  fortunes  of  four  years,  begged  with 
tears  not  to  be  left  behind ;  for  they  said  they 
would  rather  die  with  the  Spaniards  than  live 
among  the  strangers  in  Aminoya,  Anilco,  and 
Guachoya ;  so  they  were  allowed  to  follow  along 
still  with  their  masters  into  the  unknown  dangers 
ahead. 

Moscoso  appointed  his  captains,  two  to  each  boat, 
taking  their  oath  that  they  would  obey  him  until 
they  came  to  the  land  of  Christians.  There  were 
about  three  hundred  and  fifty  men,  and  these  were 
next  distributed  and  told  off  in  regular  relays  for 
rowing,  no  man  to  be  exempted  but  the  captains. 
And  now  there  was  nothing  more  to  be  done ;  all 
was  completed. 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

THE    FLIGHT    DOWN    THE    RIVER 

IT  was  the  feast  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  the 
2d  of  July,  1 543  —  four  years  and  one 
week  since  the  expedition  landed  in  Florida. 
Waiting  until  after  sunset,  the  Spaniards  quietly 
stepped  into  their  boats,  took  their  places,  and 
pushed  off  from  shore.  Steering  out  into  the  cur 
rent,  they  rowed  down  with  it.  They  rowed  all 
that  night  and  the  next  day  and  the  next  night 
without  stopping,  speeding  onward  over  the  spot 
where  lay  the  body  of  the  Adelantado,  passing  the 
Guachoya  village  where  he  died.  Canoes,  in  wait 
ing  there,  followed  them  to  the  next  bend  in  the 
river ;  then  they  dropped  behind  and  out  of  view, 
and  the  vast  river  was  all  their  own  again.  But 
when  one  of  the  boats  went  ashore  to  a  deserted 
little  village,  an  old  Indian  woman  left  there  warned 
them  that  the  enemy  were  gathering,  and  were 
coming  fast  after  them. 

The  light  of  the  next  day  brought  to  view  a  sight 
such  as  the  Spaniards  had  never  seen  before,  and 
never  saw  afterwards.  Looking  back,  they  saw  the 
broad  river,  from  bank  to  bank,  covered  with  Qui- 

293 


294  Hernando  de  Soto 

galtanqui's  canoes.  So  many  were  they,  writes  one 
chronicler,  that  the  Spaniards  could  not  count  them, 
but  only  reckoned  them  by  hundreds,  —  may  be, 
reckoning  with  the  imagination  rather  than  their  eyes. 
Each  canoe  carried  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  rowers 
to  the  side,  with  a  serried  file  of  standing  warriors, 
bows  in  their  hands,  quivers  at  their  backs,  tall,  slim, 
erect,  immovable  —  all  to  their  crests  of  feathers. 
The  trim,  light  paddles,  polished  like  ivory,  glistened 
in  the  sunshine,  say  the  Spaniards,  like  the  brightest 
of  lance-heads,  and  they  sent  the  canoes  with  a  ve 
locity  that  a  horse,  galloping  at  full  speed,  would 
hardly  have  excelled.  To  keep  time,  the  rowers,  in 
unison,  sang  war-songs,  interrupted  at  regular  inter 
vals  with  cries  and  insults  hurled  at  the  Christians. 
Some  of  the  canoes  were  dyed  inside  and  out,  all  of 
a  colour  —  black,  white,  blue,  red,  yellow,  purple, 
with  the  paddles  to  match.  And  the  bows  and 
quivers  and  the  feathers  on  the  warriors'  heads 
were  all  of  the  same  colour  as  the  canoes,  so  that 
the  Spaniards,  describing  it,  said  that  no  tournament 
or  joust  of  cavaliers  on  caparisoned  steeds,  and 
dressed  to  produce  an  effect,  could  have  excelled  the 
brilliant  beauty  of  these  savages.  And  the  precision 
of  their  movements  was  as  wonderful  and  beautiful ; 
their  canoes  now  rushing  onward  with  the  quick 
dropping  words  of  their  songs,  now  slowing  off 
in  long  drawn-out  cadences. 

The  Spanish  vessels  pushed  steadily  onward  in  the 
centre  of  the  channel,  the  men  rowing  as  men  row 
for  life  and  safety.  At  midday  the  canoes  were  seen 


The  Flight  down  the  River  295 

to  separate  into  three  divisions,  and  draw  over  to  the 
right-hand  side  of  the  river.  And  now,  the  Span- 
jards  had  better  opportunity  to  admire  the  beauty  of 
their  evolutions,  and  the  strength  and  skill  of  their 
rowers.  The  first  division,  in  a  long,  single  file, 
shouting  Quigaltanqui's  name,  flashed  forward  like 
a  keen,  curving  blade  athwart  the  course  of  the 
Spaniards;  and  a  broadside  of  arrows,  which  dark 
ened  the  air  as  they  came,  fell  into  the  boats.  The 
cavaliers  ranged  themselves  with  shield  and  lance  for 
the  onset,  and  some  of  the  soldiers  quickly  stepped 
into  the  canoes  in  tow,  to  defend  the  horses  ;  but  the 
Indians  passed  onward  to  the  other  side  of  the  river, 
and,  twirling  round,  returned  in  the  rear  of  the  boats 
to  take  up  their  first  position  on  the  right  bank.  In 
the  meantime,  the  canoes  of  the  second  division  had 
advanced  in  precisely  the  same  order,  discharging 
their  arrows,  returning  to  the  right  bank  and  taking 
up  their  position  after  the  first  division ;  and  they 
had  hardly  crossed  before  the  third  division  was 
there  in  front  of  the  boats,  pouring  its  broadsides 
of  arrows  upon  the  Spaniards,  returning  to  their  po 
sition  near  the  right  bank,  whence  the  first  canoes 
immediately  led  off  again,  followed  in  due  order  by 
the  second  and  third  divisions.  And  thus  they  kept 
it  up  all  day,  crossing  in  front  and  discharging  their 
arrows,  and  returning  by  the  rear  to  their  first  posi 
tion,  giving  the  Spaniards  not  one  moment's  respite 
until  nightfall. 

Seeing  that  the  Indians  had  no  idea  of  coming 
within  reach  of  their  swords  but  intended  to  fight 


296  Hernando  de  Soto 

with  their  arrows  at  a  distance  in  the  canoes,  the 
Spaniards  came  back  into  the  leading  boats,  leaving 
the  horses  to  what  protection  they  could  get  out  of 
their  coverings  of  mats  and  skins.  During  this  first 
day  twenty-five  men  were  wounded  in  Calderon's 
vessel,  which  was  in  the  rear.  The  soldiers  not  in 
armour  tried  to  get  out  of  the  way  of  the  arrows 
by  going  to  the  other  side  of  the  boat,  and  some  of 
the  rowers  dropping  their  oars,  the  boat  began  to 
drift.  But  one  of  the  cavaliers  made  a  soldier  take 
up  an  oar  and  steer  back  into  the  course,  while  he 
stood  before  him  and  guarded  him  with  his  shield, 
and  so  he  saved  the  boat.  The  Spaniards  then  be 
thought  themselves  of  the  mats  that  they  slept  in, 
which  were  so  close  and  strong  that  no  arrow  could 
cut  through  them,  and  as  soon  as  the  Indians  gave 
them  the  leisure  for  it  they  hung  them  along  the 
sides  of  the  boats.  But  the  Indians,  shooting  their 
arrows  with  as  deadly  skill  up  in  the  air  so  that  they 
might  fall  into  the  boats,  wounded  almost  as  many. 

So  the  pursuit  continued  for  ten  days  —  begin 
ning  at  dawn,  ending  at  sunset  —  with  no  varia 
tion  whatever  in  the  manoeuvre.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  two  of  the  horses  had  been  killed,  and  few 
of  the  Spaniards  had  escaped  without  a  wound. 
The  crossbowmen  did  what  they  could,  but  they 
were  too  few  in  number  to  do  much.  As  for  the 
arquebusiers,  their  powder  had  long  since  been 
exhausted  and  their  guns  forged  into  nails. 

The  Indians,  seeing  at  last  that  their  manoeuvres 
had  only  forced  the  Spaniards  into  keeping  in 


The  Flight  down  the  River  297 

closer  order,  now  pretended  to  withdraw,  and  cun 
ningly  dropped  out  of  sight  and  remained  a  dis 
tance  up  the  river  in  hopes  that  their  enemies,  grow 
ing  careless  and  off  their  guard,  the  boats  would 
spread  out  and  separate  from  one  another,  thus  giv 
ing  an  opportunity  to  attack  one  by  itself.  The 
Spaniards  fell  into  their  trap  before  the  day  was  out. 
Passing  by  a  little  village  that  looked  as  if  it  had 
been  abandoned,  and  believing  that  the  Indians  had 
given  over  the  chase  and  that  the  river  was  nearing 
the  sea,  Moscoso  thought  it  would  be  well  to  lay 
in  a  new  supply  of  corn.  Word  was  passed  along 
the  boats  for  volunteers  to  go  with  Gonzalo  Silvestre 
to  the  village.  A  hundred  men  immediately  put 
out  in  their  canoes,  taking  the  horses  to  give  them 
a  little  run,  or,  one  chronicler  says,  to  kill  them  for 
their  meat.  But  the  village  was  not  abandoned ; 
the  Indians  were  out  in  their  fields.  Seeing  the 
Spaniards  coming,  they  fled  to  the  forest,  sending  out 
wild  cries  of  alarm.  Gonzalo  Silvestre  and  his  men, 
making  all  haste,  landed  and  ran  to  the  cabins, 
grasping  up  all  the  corn  and  provisions  and  skins 
they  could  pack  on  their  shoulders.  Among  the 
skins  was  a  magnificent  one,  which  Gonzalo  Silvestre 
secured  for  himself,  of  the  finest  marten,  very  long 
and  wide,  and  doubled  so  as  to  be  the  same  on  both 
sides,  ornamented  on  the  edge  with  pearls  hung  in 
groups  like  tassels. 

In  the  midst  of  their  looting,  they  heard  the 
trumpets  from  the  boats  sounding  a  peremptory 
recall;  Quigaltanqui's  canoes  were  in  sight,  and 


298  Hernando  de  Soto 

coming  at  full  speed  to  the  rescue  of  the  villagers. 
The  Spaniards  jumped  into  their  canoes,  but  they 
were  too  hard  pressed  to  save  their  horses.  They 
managed  to  reach  the  vessels,  but  the  chase  was 
so  close  that,  if  the  Indians  on  the  river  had  been 
a  hundred  paces  in  advance,  they  would  never  have 
succeeded.  The  Indians,  furious  at  their  disap 
pointment,  turned  for  revenge  upon  the  deserted 
horses.  The  intelligent  animals,  as  if  knowing 
that  they  were  at  last  in  the  power  of  their  bitter 
enemies,  began  to  neigh  and  snort  and  gallop  over 
the  fields.  The  delighted  Indians  pursued,  shoot 
ing  at  them  with  the  wildest  glee  until  the  last  horse 
fell  —  the  last  of  the  three  hundred  and  fifty  fine 
horses  that  had  entered  upon  the  conquest  of  the 
country  —  the  Spaniards  looking  on  with  such  sor 
row  as  men  feel  over  the  killing  of  little  children. 

The  canoes  again  dropped  behind,  and  kept  out 
of  sight ;  and  the  galleys  rowing  and  sailing  on  under 
a  prosperous  wind  with  no  foe  in  view  for  a  day  or 
two,  the  men  again  grew  careless  and  off  their  guard  ; 
and  one  of  the  boats,  the  crew  not  noticing  it, 
dropped  out  of  the  regular  order  and,  separating 
from  the  others,  fell  behind  more  than  a  hundred 
yards.  The  Indians,  who  were  on  watch,  lost  not  a 
moment  of  their  opportunity.  From  all  directions 
their  canoes  came  charging  over  the  water  towards 
the  straggler  with  the  speed  and  fury  of  wild  ani 
mals.  The  other  six  vessels  lowered  sails,  and  began 
to  row  back  to  the  rescue  as  fast  as  they  could.  The 
distance  was  short,  but  against  the  current  of  the 


The  Flight  down  the  River  299 

river  the  headway  was  slow  and  difficult.  When 
they  reached  the  surrounded  boat,  the  Indians  were 
pouring  over  the  sides,  the  Spaniards  defending 
themselves  as  best  they  could,  each  man  holding  a 
circle  at  bay  with  his  sword.  But  as  the  other  boats 
came  up,  the  Indians  retreated,  taking  the  canoes  in 
tow  with  their  cargo  of  live  hogs.  The  Spaniards 
now  returned  to  their  first  caution,  Moscoso  charg 
ing  the  captains  if  they  did  not  want  to  fall  into  like 
danger  again,  not,  on  any  account,  to  separate  or 
break  the  regular  order.  But  what  avail  charges 
when  a  fool  takes  it  into  his  head  to  act  ? 

Among  the  Spaniards  was  a  rustic  fellow,  Estevan 
Anez  by  name,  who  had  none  of  the  qualities  of  a 
real  soldier,  but  who,  having  safely  passed  through 
all  the  dangers  of  an  expedition  where  so  many 
brave  men  had  perished,  was  puffed  up  with  vanity, 
as  if  his  valour  had  been  his  salvation.  He  was  a 
great  talker,  and  in  his  galley  had  talked  himself 
into  a  great  reputation  for  bravery  among  his  com 
panions,  particularly  among  the  young  ones;  and  so 
one  day  he  talked  himself  and  five  of  them  into 
believing  that  they  could  perform  the  most  brilliant 
and  most  famous  feat  of  arms  in  that  discovery  or 
any  other  —  and  somehow  it  is  not  hard  to  per 
suade  youths  that  they  can  do  the  most  famous  and 
brilliant  deeds  of  all  ages.  Among  these  was  a 
young  cavalier  of  twenty,  the  son  of  the  brave  Don 
Carlos  Enriques,  killed  in  the  battle  of  Mauvila,  as 
perfect  of  figure  and  as  beautiful  of  face,  says  the 
chronicler,  as  it  was  possible  for  a  human  being  to  be, 


joo  Hernando  de  Soto 

and  in  gallantry  and  virtue,  the  worthy  son  of  his 
father.  He  with  the  others  followed  Anez  into  the 
canoe  in  tow  of  their  boat,  and,  casting  off,  they  pad 
dled  away,  saying  they  were  going  to  speak  to  the 
captain-general.  But  as  soon  as  they  were  a  little 
distance  from  their  boat,  they,  on  the  contrary,  turned 
and,  shouting  out  cries  of  defiance,  paddled  straight 
for  the  Indians  who  were  keeping  just  in  sight. 

Moscoso,  seeing  the  senseless  act,  ordered  the 
trumpets  in  all  haste  to  sound  the  recall,  and  with 
shouts  and  gestures  he  and  his  officers  ordered  the 
canoe  to  return.  But  the  more  and  the  louder  they 
called,  the  more  obstinate  and  determined  seemed 
the  course  of  the  canoe.  Furious  at  the  disobe 
dience,  the  captain-general  ordered  thirty  or  forty 
men  to  go  and  arrest  and  fetch  him  the  leader,  de 
termined  to  hang  him  as  soon  as  he  was  aboard. 
It  would  have  been  better  to  have  remitted  his 
punishment  to  the  Indians,  for  they  knew,  and 
none  better,  how  to  cure  such  foolishness.  As 
soon  as  the  order  was  heard,  from  every  boat  Span 
iards  jumped  into  their  canoes  to  execute  it.  The 
Indians  as  on  the  first  day  covered  the  river  from 
bank  to  bank.  When  they  saw  the  canoes  of  the 
Spaniards  coming  towards  them,  instead  of  advanc 
ing  they  kept  their  paddles  going,  merely  to  hold 
their  line.  Then,  almost  imperceptibly  at  first,  in 
perfect  unison  and  grace  they  began  to  back,  to 
draw  the  canoes  further  away  from  the  boats,  which 
in  the  meantime  had  lowered  their  sails  and  were 
working  their  oars  to  stem  the  current. 


The  Flight  down  the  River  301 

Seeing  themselves  gaining  upon  the  Indians,  in 
stead  of  suspecting  something,  Anez  and  his  crew 
paddled  still  more  fiercely  towards  them,  calling  out 
excitedly :  "  See,  they  are  flying !  They  are  flying ! " 
When  the  first  canoe  of  Spaniards  and  the  three 
others  coming  after  were  near  enough,  the  Indians 
began  to  spread  out  towards  the  sides,  curving  like 
a  crescent,  the  centre  still  paddling  backwards  and 
leading  on  the  Spaniards.  When  these  were  well  in 
the  trap,  and  could  not  get  out  even  if  they  wished, 
the  horns  of  the  crescent  began  to  curve  forward ; 
then  suddenly  closing  they  charged  over  the  water, 
striking  the  four  canoes  of  Spaniards  on  the  side 
with  such  impetus  and  force  that  they  turned  them 
over,  and  passing  over  the  place  where  they  were 
in  such  numbers  that  the  Spaniards  could  not  even 
rise  to  the  surface.  Whenever  a  head  appeared  it 
was  beaten  by  a  paddle  back  into  the  water.  And 
so  perished  forty-eight  of  the  fifty-two  men  in  the 
four  canoes.  "  And  all  for  the  act  of  a  fool ! " 
exclaims  the  chronicler. 

The  four  who  escaped  owed  their  lives  to  Pedro 
Moreno,  the  Mestico.  Although  overturned  into 
the  water,  he  with  his  great  strength  and  skill  was 
able  to  recover  his  canoe  and  get  into  it,  pulling 
after  him  three  others,  among  them  the  brave 
soldier  Nieto,  who,  it  will  be  remembered,  lifted  up 
Juan  Ortiz  to  his  saddle  and  rode  away  with  him. 
Nieto  held  the  Indians  at  bay  while  Pedro  Moreno 
paddled.  But  neither  his  strength  and  courage  nor 
Pedro  Moreno's  skill  and  dexterity  would  have  availed 


JO2  Hernando  de  Soto 

to  save  their  lives,  if  the  galleys  had  not  come  up 
when  they  did.  Moscoso,  as  there  was  nothing  else 
to  be  done,  ranged  his  boats  again  in  their  order,  re 
turned  to  his  course,  but  sorely  hurt  and  grieved  over 
the  loss  of  his  men.  The  Indians  after  this  fine  stroke 
followed  the  Spaniards  only  one  day  and  night  longer, 
sending  their  triumphant  war-cries  and  yells  over  the 
water.  On  the  seventeenth  day  of  their  voyage,  at 
sunrise,  with  one  great  chorus  of  voices  and  horns  and 
drums,  they  dropped  out  of  sight,  and  this  time  their 
retreat  was  final.  When  the  Spaniards  saw  they  had 
really  given  over  the  chase,  they  were  confident  that 
the  sea  must  be  near,  and  that  for  this  reason  alone 
the  savages  had  returned  to  their  homes. 

From  this  time  the  river  continued  increasing  in 
width,  so  that  going  down  the  centre  of  it,  the  Span 
iards  could  see  nothing-  of  either  bank  but  its  line 
of  green  foliage.  They  kept  in  midstream,  not 
daring  to  turn  in  to  either  bank  for  fear  of  getting 
lost  in  swamps  or  lagoons.  The  river  grew  so  wide 
at  times,  they  said,  that  they  did  not  know  whether 
they  were  in  the  sea  or  still  in  the  river.  In  this 
doubt  they  sailed  and  rowed  three  days  longer, 
which  brought  them  up  to  the  nineteenth  day  of 
their  voyage.  On  that  day  there  appeared  on  their 
left  a  great  expanse  of  driftwood ;  so  immense  it 
was  that  it  looked  like  an  island.  Further  on  lay 
bare,  naked  sand.  Beyond  that  the  eye  shot  out 
into  the  sea  itself. 


CHAPTER   XXV 

ON    THE    GULF    OF    MEXICO 

NOT  knowing  how  far  they  were  yet  from  the 
end  of  their  voyage,  Moscoso  and  his  offi 
cers  decided,  before  venturing  out  to  sea,  to 
examine  the  vessels  and  see  if  they  needed  repair. 
Going  to  work  with  their  usual  promptness  and 
energy,  the  men  soon  had  the  boats  unloaded  and 
careened  up  on  the  driftwood  island.  They  found 
very  little  to  be  done  to  them.  They  then  slaugh 
tered  the  few  hogs  that  were  still  alive,  and  after 
that  they  lay  down  to  sleep,  and  for  three  days  they 
slept  like  the  dead;  for  the  Indians  had  allowed 
them  no  sleep  on  the  river,  and  they  were  perishing 
for  sleep ;  besides  being  spent  with  rowing,  and 
almost  starved,  having  eaten  nothing  for  days,  but 
parched  corn  measured  out  to  them  every  day,  a 
helmet  full  for  every  three  men. 

How  many  leagues  they  had  travelled  down  the 
river  during  the  nineteen  days  of  their  voyage  they 
never  knew.  The  Indians  gave  them  no  leisure  in 
which  to  take  measurements,  and  in  talking  it  over 
among  themselves  then  and  afterwards,  they  ex 
pressed  great  difference  of  opinion  about  it,  some 

303 


304  Hernando  de  Soto 

persisting  that  they  travelled  during  a  day  and  a 
night  only  twenty  leagues,  others  thirty  or  forty  ; 
but  most  agreed  that,  as  they  came  down  with  the 
current,  they  must  have  made  on  an  average  twenty- 
five  leagues  every  twenty-four  hours. 

About  noon  of  the  third  day  of  their  rest,  they 
were  startled  by  seeing  seven  canoes  of  Indians 
come  out  from  a  clump  of  rushes  on  the  marshy 
ground  near  by  and  paddle  towards  them.  In  the 
bow  of  the  first  canoe  stood  the  leader,  an  Indian 
as  tall  as  the  great  Philistine  and  as  black  as  a  negro, 
completely  different  in  colour  and  appearance  from 
any  natives  seen  inland.  Calling  to  the  Spaniards 
in  a  loud  and  commanding  voice  and  pointing  towards 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  with  violent  gestures  he 
ordered  them  to  leave  under  penalty  of  being  killed. 
Then,  without  waiting  for  a  reply,  he  turned  his 
canoe  and,  followed  by  the  rest,  disappeared  in  the 
rushes  again.  The  Spaniards,  watching,  saw  other 
canoes  busily  coming  and  going  in  and  out  of  the 
rushes.  Evidently  an  attack  was  in  preparation, 
and  they  quickly  decided  that  it  should  come  from 
themselves,  and  before  nightfall.  For  after  dark  the 
savages  could  easily  fall  upon  them  and  burn  their 
boats  and,  knowing  the  land  and  water  about  them 
as  they  did,  could  safely  escape,  while  the  Spaniards 
in  their  ignorance  would  be  helpless.  Therefore 
Moscoso  ordered  Gonzalo  Silvestre  and  Alvaro 
Nieto  with  a  hundred  men  to  get  into  canoes  and 
paddle  into  the  marsh  in  search  of  the  savages. 

Pushing  stealthily   through   the   tall    rushes,  the 


On  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  305 

Spaniards  found  them  in  a  clear,  smooth  round  of 
water  walled  in  by  the  thick  growth, — seventy  canoes 
of  them.  Charging  at  once  into  them,  the  Spaniards 
upset  three  of  their  canoes,  killing  some  of  the  In 
dians,  and  wounding  more;  and  pushing  on  they 
fought  with  their  utmost  skill,  courage,  and  strength. 
But  the  Indians  were  brave  fighters,  too,  and  they 
used  a  weapon  the  Spaniards  had  not  seen  in  Florida 
before,  although  it  was  known  and  feared  by  the 
Spaniards  of  Peru, —a  kind  of  dart  of  cane  with  a 
sharp-pointed  head  of  fishbone,  which  they  threw 
with  deadly  skill  and  unerring  aim,  inflicting  wounds 
as  large  as  a  man's  hand.  And  their  canoes,  smaller 
than  the  ones  used  on  the  river,  were  like  trained 
horses  under  rein,  swerving,  dodging,  darting,  wheel 
ing  round  and  round,  easily  turning  inside  their 
length,  fleeing  and  charging  back  again,  while  the 
Spaniards  broke  their  arms  trying  to  get  up  to  them. 
But  the  Spanish  arms  and  armour  told,  as  they 
always  did,  and  the  savages  finally  retreated.  In 
the  meantime  the  Spaniards  at  the  driftwood  were 
busily  reloading  their  boats,  and  when  Gonzalo  Sil- 
vestre  and  his  men  returned,  being  fearful  that  the 
savages  might  still  collect  and  come  that  night  to 
burn  the  boats,  they  hurriedly  embarked,  and  sailed 
over  to  the  sand  island  at  the  mouth  of  the  river. 
There  they  anchored  and  passed  the  night  sleeping 
on  board. 

The  next  morning  Luis  de  Moscoso  called  all 
the  men  together  in  a  council,  and  commanded  each 
one  to  speak  his  mind,  and  say  whether  he  thought 


306  Hernando  de  Soto 

it  better  to  cross  over  the  high  seas  to  Mexico  or  to 
keep  along  the  coast.  There  were  various  expres 
sions,  and  finally  Juan  d'Anasco  arose  and  spoke. 
He  maintained  that  it  was  better  to  go  by  the  high 
seas  and  across  the  Gulf,  for  that  would  be  three  or 
four  times  shorter  in  distance  than  it  would  be 
going  along  the  coast,  on  account  of  the  twisting 
and  turning  of  the  land ;  and  he  exhibited  a  chart 
that  he  had  traced  upon  deerskin  from  memory  of 
a  chart  of  that  coast  that  he  had  once  seen,  and  an 
astrolabe,  which  in  his  fondness  for  such  things  he 
had  picked  up  from  the  ruins  of  the  fire  at  Mauvila, 
and  had  kept,  and  a  jack-staff  he  had  made  with  a  car 
penter's  rule.  With  these  he  now  proposed  to  di 
rect  the  voyage ;  and  referring  to  his  chart  he  showed 
that  the  coast  ran  east  and  west  to  the  Rio  de  las 
Palmas,  and  from  there  north  and  south  to  Mexico, 
so  that  by  sailing  along  in  sight  of  land  they 
would  lose  much  time,  and  would  be  in  greater 
danger  of  being  overtaken  by  winter  before  they 
could  get  to  their  haven ;  whereas  by  crossing  di 
rectly,  they  might  be  there  in  ten  or  twelve  days. 
Most  of  the  men  were  against  this ;  they  said 
that,  although  following  the  coast  was  longer,  it  was 
safer,  because  their  boats  were  not  strong,  and  were 
without  decks,  and  that  a  very  small  storm  would 
be  sufficient  to  wreck  them.  If  they  should  be  hin 
dered  by  contrary  weather  on  the  open  sea,  they 
said,  or  delayed  by  calms,  as  they  could  carry  but  a 
scant  supply  of  water  in  their  casks,  they  would  run 
great  risk  of  perishing  from  thirst.  And  even,  the) 


On  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  307 

said,  if  the  boats  were  strong  enough  to  venture 
across  the  sea,  having  neither  pilot  nor  pilot's  chart, 
it  was  not  good  judgment  to  attempt  to  do  so. 
Although  Juan  d'Anasco  with  his  talk  moved  the 
captain-general  and  some  others  to  sustain  his  opin 
ion,  the  greatest  number  being  in  favour  of  going 
along  the  coast,  that  counsel  prevailed. 

While  they  were  raising  anchor  to  depart,  Mos- 
coso's  cable  of  twisted  rags  parted ;  the  best  divers 
in  the  crews  dived  until  three  o'clock  for  the  anchor, 
but  they  could  not  find  it,  to  the  great  disappoint 
ment  and  dismay  of  Moscoso  and  all  in  his  galley. 
A  grindstone  was  found,  however,  and  some  bridles 
which  the  cavaliers  still  had  left  from  their  horses, 
and  with  these  a  weight  was  made  which  would  serve 
for  an  anchor.  And  then  they  all  put  out  to  sea. 
It  was  the  eighteenth  day  of  July,  1543,  the  wind 
fair  and  weather  prosperous. 

Seeing  Moscoso's  boat,  as  usual,  in  the  lead,  steer 
out  two  or  three  leagues  from  the  shore,  the  captains 
in  the  other  boats  sailed  up  and  overtook  him,  de 
manding  why  he  put  off  so  far  from  shore.  They 
told  him  that,  if  he  intended  to  leave  the  coast,  he 
should  say  so,  but  not  to  do  it  without  the  consent  of 
all,  and,  if  he  did,  that  they  would  not  follow  him,  but 
each  man  would  do  what  seemed  best  for  himself. 
Moscoso  answered  that  he  only  bore  off  from  land 
to  sail  the  better  and  safer  by  night,  and  that  the 
next  day  he  would  return  in  sight  of  the  coast 
again.  So  they  sailed  along  in  a  reasonably  good 
wind  that  day,  the  night  following,  and  the  next 


308  Hernando  de  Soto 

day,  until  the  hour  for  the  evening  prayer.  They 
were  still  in  fresh  water,  which  surprised  them  very 
much,  for  they  were  very  far  from  land ;  but,  as 
they  explained  it  to  one  another,  the  current  of 
the  river  was  so  strong,  and  the  slope  of  the  bottom 
so  gentle,  that  there  was  no  reason  why  the  fresh 
water  should  not  extend  far  out  into  the  sea. 

That  night,  when  they  came  in  to  land  for  the 
night,  discouraged,  perhaps,  by  the  slow  progress 
they  had  made,  they  allowed  Juan  d'Anasco  to 
win  them  over  to  his  way  of  thinking,  and  all 
consented  on  the  morrow  to  commit  themselves  and 
their  boats  to  the  high  sea,  for  the  great  advantage 
of  shortening  the  voyage.  They  sailed  thus  two 
days,  but  when  they  wanted  to  come  in  to  land  for 
water,  they  could  not,  for  the  wind  was  off  shore. 
So  they  kept  out  two  days  more ;  then  their  water 
began  to  fail,  and  temper  and  murmurs  arose  against 
Juan  d'Anasco  and  his  nautical  makeshifts  and  pre 
tensions.  They  said  he  was  always  talking  too 
much,  and  pretending  to  know.  Did  he  not  say 
he  could  lead  them  by  land  to  Mexico  ?  And  was 
he  not  the  cause  of  that  useless  march,  and  the 
loss  of  so  many  brave  men  ?  He  was  not  a  sea 
man,  and  had  never  been  to  sea  in  his  life  until  he 
had  come  upon  that  expedition ;  yet  here  he  was 
pretending  to  pilot  them.  Even  the  men  in  his 
own  boat  mocked  at  him  and  his  instruments.  And 
they  grumbled,  too,  against  Moscoso  for  following 
him,  and  all  swore  that  if  they  ever  got  ashore  again, 
they  would  never  go  from  it,  and  the  captain-general 


On  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  309 

could  go  where  he  pleased.  Juan  d'Anasco,  hearing 
all  this,  grew  so  angry  that  he  threw  his  chart  and 
jack-staff  overboard.  But  they  were  not  lost ;  the 
men  in  the  boat  coming  after  prudently  picked 
them  up,  for  they  were  tied  together  and  floated 
on  the  water.  The  wind  changing  a  little,  at  the 
end  of  five  days,  by  dint  of  hard  rowing,  they  got 
back  in  sight  of  land,  their  supply  of  water  com 
pletely  exhausted.  But  that  very  evening  the  wind 
rose,  and,  the  anchors  being  too  weak  to  hold,  the 
boats  would  have  been  driven  ashore  if  Moscoso 
had  not  commanded  the  men  to  jump  into  the 
water  on  the  shore  side,  and,  as  the  waves  receded, 
to  push  the  boats  out  again.  So  they  worked  until 
the  wind  eased  in  the  morning,  when  they  made  their 
way  into  a  bay  and  went  ashore,  and,  by  digging  in 
the  sand,  secured  fresh  water  enough  to  fill  their 
casks. 

Putting  out,  they  sailed  two  days,  until,  the  south 
wind  again  blowing  hard,  they  ran  into  a  small 
river  and  waited  there  four  days  for  the  sea  to  calm. 
Venturing  forth  once  more,  they  sailed  a  day ;  but, 
towards  evening,  the  wind  grew  so  strong  that  it 
drove  them  in  to  shore,  and  they  were  sorry  enough 
that  they  had  left  the  good  harbour  of  the  day  be 
fore  ;  for,  as  the  night  came  on,  the  wind  waxed  into 
a  tempest,  and  all  night  the  five  boats  fought  for 
their  lives  in  the  wild  roadstead.  Their  anchors  re 
fusing  to  hold,  with  seven  or  eight  men  to  an  oar, 
they  kept  pulling  to  seaward ;  as  the  waves  broke 
over  the  boats,  some  would  jump  out  and  push  them 


jio  Hernando  de  Soto 

from  shore  as  fast  and  as  hard  as  they  could;  then, 
jumping  in  again  while  the  next  breakers  were  com 
ing,  they  would  all  set  to  bailing  the  water  out. 
And  in  the  thick  of  the  storm,  and  of  their  fears  of 
being  wrecked,  they  endured  from  midnight  on  an 
intolerable  torment  of  swarms  of  mosquitoes  which 
settled  all  over  them,  stinging  so  venomously  that 
their  faces  swelled  to  an  enormous  size. 

With  dawn  the  wind  slacked  and  the  sea  calmed, 
but  not  the  mosquitoes,  for  the  sails  were  black 
with  them,  and  the  men  at  the  oars  could  not  row 
unless  their  comrades  kept  them  off;  and,  dis 
tressed  as  they  were,  they  were  forced  to  laugh  at 
one  another's  grotesque  masks  of  faces.  Turning 
into  a  little  bay,  the  mouth  of  a  small  creek,  they 
found  the  bank  lined  with  a  black  scum  cast  up  by 
the  sea,  which  proved  to  be  the  resin  copal,  used 
by  the  sailors  in  the  West  Indies  and  South  America 
to  pitch  their  ships  with;  so  the  Spaniards  stopped 
here  long  enough  to  pitch  their  boats  with  it. 

After  two  days'  rest,  they  put  out  to  sea  again, 
sailed  two  days,  and  stopped  and  rested  two  days. 
The  wind  was  against  them,  but,  in  their  craving  to 
shorten  their  voyage,  they  put  out  to  sea  with  their 
oars,  and  for  ten  days  pushed  along  with  sail  and 
oar,  making  very  little  headway,  however,  for  all 
their  labour.  The  next  stop  was  under  the  lee  of 
a  small  island  ;  and  while  they  were  there,  there  fell 
out  such  another  storm  that  they  gave  thanks  to  God 
for  being  in  shelter.  They  were  weather-bound  here 
fourteen  days,  during  which  they  caught  quantities 


On  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  311 

of  fish ;  and,  too,  a  fish  came  near  catching  one  of 
them.  A  man  who  had  gone  to  sleep  with  the  end 
of  his  line  tied  to  his  arm  awoke  just  as  he  was 
being  drawn  out  into  the  water  up  to  his  neck. 
He  remembered  his  knife  just  in  time  to  cut  the 
line  and  save  himself. 

When  fair  weather  at  last  came,  before  taking  to 
their  boats,  they  marched  in  a  solemn  procession 
along  the  strand,  beseeching  God  to  bring  them  in 
safety  to  a  land  where,  as  they  contritely  said,  they 
could  repent  of  their  sins  and  serve  Him  better  than 
before.  After  this  they  sailed  a  period  of  six  days, 
—  and  so  they  made  their  way,  day  after  day,  league 
after  league,  how  many  leagues  they  never  knew, 
keeping  count  only  of  the  days  ;  always  either  beat 
ing  out  to  sea  to  keep  off  shore,  or  beating  in  to 
shore  to  keep  from  being  driven  out  to  sea ;  using 
their  oars  whenever  they  could  ;  coming  in  to  land 
for  water  and  harbourage  every  two  or  three  days. 
If  the  place  were  good,  they  stopped  to  fish,  some 
dragging  the  net  and  casting  the  line,  while  others 
waded  along  the  strand  for  shell-fish  ;  for,  since  they 
had  used  up  their  grease  in  pitching  their  boats,  they 
had  nothing  to  eat  but  dry  corn.  As  they  were 
more  often  in  the  water  than  out  of  it,  they  had  long 
since  discarded  all  clothing  save  their  short  skin- 
breeches. 

Fifty-three  days  passed,  and  it  seemed  to  them 
they  must  be  nearing  the  River  of  Palms,  that  it 
could  not  be  far  away ;  and  with  each  dawn  rose 
hope  of  coming  in  sight  of  it,  and  with  each  sun- 


312  Hernando  de  Soto 

set  the  hope  went  down.  And  each  day  some 
one  with  a  new  pretension  to  cosmography  or  sea 
faring  knowledge  would  hazard  prophecies  and  con 
victions  about  it.  But,  in  truth,  those  that  knew 
most  never  knew  for  a  certainty  either  what  sea  they 
were  in,  or  what  land  they  were  coasting.  The 
only  thing  they  did  know  was  that  if  they  kept  on 
sailing  in  the  direction  they  were  now  following,  and 
if  the  sea  did  not  swallow  them,  they  would  reach 
Mexico ;  and  this  one  certainty  it  was  that  enabled 
them  to  support  the  voyage.  And  whenever  the 
wind  subsided,  discussion  would  as  surely  arise 
as  to  the  course,  on  all  the  boats,  Juan  d'Anasco 
again  obstinately  insisting  that  it  were  well  to  bear 
more  to  seaward ;  for  he  remembered  distinctly  that 
the  coast  from  Rio  de  las  Palmas  ran  north  and 
south.  Some  believed  that  they  had  overshot  the 
river  at  night,  and  others  said  that  it  was  not  good 
to  sail  at  night,  lest  they  should  overshoot  the  river ; 
others  maintained  that  it  was  not  well  to  lose  time 
by  not  sailing  at  night  while  the  weather  was  favour 
able,  for  they  were  not  near  enough  to  the  place 
yet  to  pass  it  by  in  the  night.  It  was  finally  agreed 
as  a  compromise  to  take  in  half  the  sails  when  they 
sailed  at  night. 

On  the  fifty-third  day,  while  they  were  sailing 
along,  looking  ahead  at  their  hopes,  in  the  blank 
sky  and  water  of  their  horizon,  for  there  was  noth 
ing  else  to  see,  a  north  wind  sprang  up,  —  one  of 
those  north  winds  that  blew  more  furiously  on  that 
coast,  the  Spaniards  said,  than  in  any  other  region 


On  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  313 

they  had  ever  known.  Five  of  the  vessels,  among 
them  the  captain-general's,  were  sailing  together. 
Seeing  the  storm  coming,  they  began  to  draw  in  to 
shore,  using  the  oars  and  looking  for  some  inlet  in 
which  to  find  shelter.  The  other  two  boats,  sailing 
carelessly  far  from  shore,  were  caught  by  the  wind 
and  before  they  knew  it  driven  out  to  sea.  This 
was  what  every  man  in  the  fleet  had  most  dreaded, 
and  justly.  For  the  tempest  waxed  to  frightful  vio 
lence  all  that  night;  as  the  men  said,  it  clutched 
them  by  the  throat,  and  they  fought  back  with 
the  Credo  between  their  teeth,  labouring  and  strug 
gling  with  wind  and  wave.  The  mainmast  of  one 
of  the  boats  went  down  in  the  blast,  and  the  crew 
gave  themselves  up  for  lost ;  but  they  righted  the 
mast,  and  desperately  battled  on  through  the  dark 
ness  and  the  vortex  of  yawning  waves  grinning  like 
teethed  mouths  around  them. 

When  daylight  came,  they  thought  the  fury  of 
the  storm  would  abate,  but  it  grew  still  wilder,  fiercer, 
and  more  relentless,  and  they  fought  on  all  the  day 
as  they  had  all  the  night.  Through  flashes  of 
cleared  sky,  they  could  see  afar,  as  in  a  vision,  the 
five  other  galleys  riding  at  ease  in  some  haven  or 
heaven,  safe  from  the  hell  they  were  in,  and  they 
strained  anew  to  make  that  harbour  themselves. 
But  the  clouds  would  close  over  them  again,  shut 
ting  them  in  with  the  savage  elements,  and  many 
times  the  boat  went  under  the  waves,  they  thought 
for  good  and  all.  At  last  they  gave  up,  and  trying 
no  more  either  for  themselves,  companions,  harbour, 


314  Hernando  de  Soto 

or  home,  they  turned  their  prows  to  the  wind  and 
let  themselves  go  with  it.  They  had  then  been 
fighting  twenty-six  hours  without  a  wink  of  sleep,  a 
moment's  rest,  a  mouthful  of  food,  half-way  up 
their  legs  in  water,  now  pulling  at  the  sails,  now 
bailing  out  the  water  which  the  waves  poured  over 
them. 

Sunset  came,  and  still  no  prospect  or  promise  of 
betterment ;  the  sea  was  even  more  hideous,  more 
ominous  than  before.  Suddenly,  along  the  line  of 
sullen  light  on  the  right  hand,  the  wind,  as  the 
chronicler  says,  seemed  to  be  picking  up  hills  of 
white  sand,  blowing  them  from  one  place  to  another 
with  incredible  ease  and  speed ;  on  the  left  a  pitch- 
black  line  appeared.  Then  in  one  of  the  boats  the 
high,  shrill  voice  of  a  lad  called  out :  "  Senores,  I 
know  this  coast !  Twice  I  sailed  along  it  when  I 
was  serving  as  cabin  boy  on  a  ship;  but  I  do  not 
know  the  land  nor  what  country  it  belongs  to. 
The  black  line  on  the  left  is  a  rocky  and  danger 
ous  coast ;  it  runs  a  long  way  until  it  reaches  Vera 
Cruz.  In  the  whole  length  of  it  there  is  neither 
port  nor  harbour,  only  sheer  sides  and  rocks  with 
points  like  knife-blades,  where,  if  we  strike,  we  shall 
be  ground  to  pieces  between  them  and  the  waves. 
The  white  coast  on  the  other  side  is  clean  and  easy; 
and  so  before  night  comes,  while  we  still  have  light, 
we  had  better  try  to  make  it ;  for  if  the  wind  drives 
us  off  it,  and  on  that  black  line,  there  is  no  hope 
for  us  to  escape  alive." 

The  captain  of  the   brigantine    ordered  warning 


On  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  315 

to  be  shouted  to  the  other  boat,  which  was  under 
command  of  Juan  Gaytan,  so  that  he  also  might 
avoid  the  peril.  The  waves  ran  so  high  that  the 
boats  most  of  the  time  were  not  visible  to  each  other; 
but  whenever  they  arose  in  sight  on  the  crest  of  a 
wave,  shouts  were  sent  across  to  head  for  the  white 
coast  and  beach  the  boats.  But  Juan  Gaytan  ob 
jected  to  destroying  his  boat,  which  he  said  was 
worth  money.  At  this,  as  one  man,  all  his  crew 
jumped  up  to  answer  him  :  "  How  much  more  do 
you  own  in  this  boat  than  any  one  of  us  P  In 
God's  truth  !  you  own  less  than  we,  or  nothing  in 
comparison,  for  in  your  official  dignity  as  treasurer 
for  the  king  you  refused  to  cut  the  wood  for  it,  or 
saw  the  planks,  or  get  charcoal,  or  work  at  the  forge 
to  make  the  nails,  and  help  to  build  it,  or  even  to 
calk  it,  or  do  anything  else  of  any  use  for  it,  while 
we  did  all  this  work.  And  so  what  do  you  lose  in 
losing  this  boat  ?  Perhaps  you  think  it  would  be 
better  to  lose  the  fifty  men  in  it  ?  "  Some  of  them 
sprang  to  the  sails,  a  Portuguese  took  the  tiller,  and 
the  rest  seized  their  swords  and  shields  and  stood 
ready.  Tacking  first  on  one  quarter,  then  on  the 
other,  and  daring  the  tempest  still  at  its  height,  for 
their  last  chance  for  life,  they  headed  the  boat  for 
the  white  coast,  and  just  as  the  sun  went  down  under 
the  water  they  drove  hard  upon  it.  A  huge  breaker 
carried  the  boat  further  on  the  beach ;  the  next 
turned  it  over.  Jumping  out,  the  crew  righted  it 
and  held  it,  while  the  cargo  was  pitched  over  and 
caught  and  carried  up  on  dry  land.  In  no  time  the 


316  Hernando  de  Soto 

boat  was  emptied  and  by  the  help  of  the  waves  was 
pushed  upon  the  beach  and  propped  there,  so  that 
it  could  be  easily  launched  again  if  necessary;  the 
other  crew,  doing  exactly  the  same  thing  to  their 
boat,  beached  it  about  two  crossbow-shots  away. 

The  men  of  both  boats  came  together  to  deter 
mine  what  was  now  to  be  done.  All  agreed  that 
their  first  duty  was  to  find  the  captain-general  and 
the  boats  they  had  left  behind  and  seen  far  away, 
lying  at  anchor,  and  give  him  a  report  of  what  had 
happened.  But  considering  the  immense  toil  of  all 
in  the  tempest  for  the  past  twenty-six  hours,  no  one 
dared  name  the  soldier  for  the  mission  and  the 
manifest  peril.  None  knew  how  far  the  tempest 
had  carried  them  beyond  the  other  boats,  nor  what 
the  coast  was,  nor  what  country  they  were  in  ;  and 
so  each  man  stood  thinking  until  the  silence  was 
broken  by  Gonzalo  Quadrado  Xaramillo,  who,  step 
ping  out  in  front  of  his  comrades,  said :  "  I  offer 
myself  for  this  service.  I  promise  that  I  shall  walk 
all  this  night,  and  not  stop  until  daylight  bring  me 
to  the  captain-general,  or  I  will  die  in  the  attempt. 
If  there  is  any  one  who  will  come  with  me,  let  him 
come;  if  not,  I  shall  go  alone."  Another  soldier 
came  forward,  and  putting  himself  by  the  side  of 
Xaramillo,  "  To  life  or  death,"  he  said,  "  I  will  go 
with  you  !  "  And  as  they  were,  without  a  moment's 
delay,  each  one  with  only  his  sword  and  shield  and 
a  handful  of  corn  for  food,  they  started  off.  It  was 
one  o'clock  at  night. 


CHAPTER   XXVI 

MEXICO 

THE  Spaniards  on  the  beach  posted  sentinels 
and  went  to  sleep  in  their  boat.  At  day 
light  they  all  came  together  in  council  again, 
and  three  parties  of  twenty  men  were  selected  to  ex 
plore  the  country  in  different  directions  :  one  along 
the  coast  towards  the  south,  one  towards  the  north, 
and  one  under  Gonzalo  Silvestre  inland.  The  men 
following  the  coast  returned,  after  walking  about  a 
league,  bringing,  each  party,  some  fragments  of 
gilded  and  painted  porcelain,  such  as  is  made  in 
Spain.  They  had  not  looked  for  anything  else,  as 
this  was  best  evidence  that  they  were  in  a  Spanish 
country ;  but  Gonzalo  Silvestre  and  his  men,  when 
they  returned,  brought  with  them  two  baskets  of 
fruit  and  corn,  a  turkey,  two  fowls,  some  conserves, 
and  an  Indian.  Their  comrades  were  making  great 
rejoicings  over  the  fragments  of  porcelain.  But 
when  they  saw  the  turkey,  the  fowls,  the  fruit,  and 
the  rest  of  the  spoil  of  Silvestre,  and  understood 
that  it  had  come  from  a  hut,  they  could  not  contain 
themselves,  but  danced  and  laughed  like  madmen. 
The  surgeon,  who  was  in  the  crew  and  had  been 

317 


318  Hernando  de  Soto 

in  Mexico  and  knew  something  of  the  Mexican  lan 
guage,  spoke  to  the  Indian.  "What  are  these?" 
he  said,  holding  up  a  pair  of  scissors.  The  Indian 
answered  in  Spanish,  "  Tijeras." 

Then  the  Spaniards  knew  that  they  were  in 
Mexico,  and  they  fell  upon  Gonzalo  Silvestre,  kiss 
ing  and  hugging  him,  and  finally  raising  him  up  in 
their  arms,  and  putting  him  on  their  shoulders,  they 
carried  him  round  in  triumph,  shouting  and 
hurrahing  for  him,  praising  and  acclaiming  him, 
as  if  he  had  presented  to  each  one  of  them  the 
land  and  its  lordship.  The  outburst  over,  return 
ing  to  the  Indian  with  more  calm  and  reason,  they 
asked  him  the  name  of  the  country,  and  of  the 
river  or  body  of  water  in  which  the  captain-general 
and  the  five  galleys  had  found  refuge.  "  This 
land,"  said  the  Indian,  "belongs  to  the  city  of 
Panuco,  and  the  river  is  the  river  of  Panuco, 
which  flows  into  the  sea  twelve  leagues  from  here. 
I  am  a  slave  of  a  citizen  of  Panuco."  He  added 
that  about  two  leagues  away  was  an  Indian  lord  or 
master  of  slaves,  who  knew  how  to  read  and  write, 
having  been  taught  by  the  priests,  and  he  offered  to 
go  and  bring  him  to  them.  He  went  and  returned 
with  the  Indian  lord,  who  was  followed  by  slaves 
loaded  with  fowls,  corn,  fruit,  and  bread  ;  he  brought 
also  paper  and  pen  and  ink,  with  which  the  Spaniards 
at  once  wrote  a  letter  to  their  captain-general  and 
sent  it  by  one  of  the  Indian  slaves. 

Xaramillo  and  his  comrade  walked  all  night  with 
out  stopping,  and  at  daylight  reached  the  mouth  of 


Mexico 


319 


the  river  Panuco,  and  shortly  afterwards  beheld  the 
galleys.  The  captain-general  and  all  his  officers 
and  men,  who  were  in  great  distress  over  the  loss 
of  the  other  two  galleys,  could  not  believe  their 
own  joy  when  they  saw  the  two  Spaniards  coming. 
After  hearing  Xaramillo's  story,  they  related  theirs. 
Pedro  Calderon  had  been  sailing  ahead.  A  quarter 
of  a  league  before  he  came  to  the  river,  he  saw 
muddy  water  in  the  Gulf,  and  knew  it  to  be  the 
fresh  water  of  a  river,  and  steering  into  it,  he  soon 
saw  the  river  pouring  over  its  sand  bar  into  the  Gulf. 
He  was  in  doubt  whether  to  sail  in  or  not,  but  was 
driven  in  by  the  storm  for  shelter.  Advancing  up 
the  stream  he  saw,  as  in  a  dream,  on  the  bank  men 
and  women  dressed  like  Spaniards.  Asking  them 
what  country  it  was,  they  answered  Panuco.  The 
gladness  of  the  Spaniards  at  that  moment,  says  the 
chronicler,  was  as  if  they  had  been  born  again; 
going  ashore,  they  kissed  the  ground,  and  with  hand 
and  eyes  lifted  to  heaven,  they  gave  thanks  to  God. 
The  other  boats,  following  Calderon,  entered  the 
river  also,  and  lay  at  anchor  there  during  the  storm. 
When  the  Indian  messenger  arrived  with  the 
letter,  Moscoso  sent  back  the  answer,  that,  as  soon 
as  the  two  crews  were  rested,  all  were  to  journey  up 
the  river  to  the  city  of  Panuco  and  arrange  there 
what  further  they  were  to  do.  Eight  days  later  all 
came  together  in  Panuco ;  barefooted,  half  naked, 
in  their  ragged  skin  garments,  disfigured,  black  as 
negroes,  thin,  parched,  weak,  they  looked  more  like 
the  wild  beasts,  whose  skins  they  wore,  than  human 


J2O  Hernando  de  Soto 

beings;  the  people  of  Panuco  pitied  them  with 
tears,  for  they  knew  that  there  were  many  high-born 
cavaliers  among  them.  At  last  they  were  in  the  land 
of  Christians ;  and  the  first  thought  of  the  con 
querors  was  to  return  public  thanks  to  God.  This 
they  did  at  once,  walking  to  church  in  procession. 
The  chief  magistrate  took  the  captain-general  into 
his  own  house,  and  quartered  the  rest  of  the  men 
among  the  townspeople,  who  treated  them  with  all 
generosity  and  courtesy. 

A  messenger  was  sent  with  the  news  to  the 
viceroy  of  Mexico.  He  and  the  citizens  of  Mexico 
could  hardly  credit  it,  for  it  had  been  so  long  since 
any  news  had  been  received  from  De  Soto's  expe 
dition  that  it  seemed  impossible  that  any  part  of  it 
could  have  survived.  The  viceroy  returned  a  com 
mand  that  the  men  should  be  treated  with  all  hos 
pitality  and  distinction,  and,  when  rested,  sent  on 
to  the  city  of  Mexico ;  everything  they  wanted, 
lodgings  and  food,  was  to  be  furnished  them  free 
along  the  way,  and  Indians  given  them  to  carry 
their  luggage. 

For  ten  or  twelve  days  the  Floridians,  as  they 
were  called,  rested  in  Panuco.  And  now  a  strange 
change  came  over  their  minds.  Observing  atten 
tively  the  city  they  were  in,  they  saw  that  the  life 
there  was  a  hard  and  poor  one ;  for  there  were 
there  neither  mines  of  gold  nor  silver,  nor  any 
forms  of  wealth,  save  a  few  horses  bred  for  sale 
in  other  parts  of  the  country,  and  a  few  groves 
of  mulberry  trees  cultivated  for  silkworms  ;  and  the 


Mexico  321 

only  food,  what  could  be  produced  from  the  ground. 
Most  of  the  people,  even  the  richest,  wore  garments 
of  cotton,  and  the  richest  were  those  who,  besides 
horses,  raised  a  few  head  of  cattle  for  sale.  All  the 
fruit  trees  were  brought  from  Spain,  the  houses 
were  poor  and  small  and  thatched  with  straw,  and, 
according  to  the  saying,  the  future  was  all  the  furni 
ture  in  them.  In  short,  the  Florida  conquerors 
saw  that  the  land  they  were  in  could  not  be  com 
pared  with  the  one  they  had  left,  in  any  manner  or 
way.  For  in  Florida  the  natives,  instead  of  cotton 
coverings,  wore  mantles  of  the  finest  skins  and 
furs ;  there  was  no  need  there  to  plant  and  cultivate 
mulberry  trees,  for  they  grew  naturally  and  in  the 
greatest  quantities,  as  did  nut  and  fruit  trees  of  all 
kinds,  and  grape-vines.  And  so  from  one  thing  to 
another,  memory  brought  back  to  them  all  that  they 
had  seen  in  Florida,  —  the  fine  provinces,  the  rich 
soil,  the  bountiful  harvests,  the  beautiful  meadows, 
the  spacious  grazing  lands,  the  grand  forests,  the 
great  rivers,  and,  finally,  the  vast  accumulation  of 
pearls  there. 

What  a  contrast  with  the  wretched  poverty  they 
saw  around  them  !  and  with  great  sorrow  of  heart 
and  pity  for  themselves,  they  confessed  their  sad 
thoughts  to  one  another.  "  Could  we  not  have 
lived  in  Florida,"  they  said,  "  as  these  Spaniards 
live  in  Panuco  ?  Were  not  the  lands  there  better 
than  these  ?  If  we  had  been  willing  to  remain 
and  settle  there,  should  we  not  have  been  far  better 
off"  than  our  hosts  here  ?  Have  they,  perchance, 


3  22  Hernando  de  Soto 

any  more  mines  of  silver  and  gold  than  we  found 
there,  or  any  of  the  treasure  of  pearls  we  despised 
there  ?  Is  it  well  that  we  should  be  receiving 
hospitality  and  charity  from  others  poorer  than 
ourselves,  when  we  ourselves  might  have  shown 
hospitality  and  entertainment  to  the  whole  of 
Spain  ?  that  we,  who  might  have  been  lords  of 
vassals,  are  come  to  be  beggars  ?  Would  it  not 
have  been  better  to  have  died  there  than  to  live 
here  ?  "  And  the  more  they  thought  and  talked 
about  it,  the  more  disgusted  they  became,  until 
they  grew  so  excited  and  angry  over  the  riches 
they  might  have  had,  that  they  went  to  quarrelling 
with  one  another,  laying  upon  one  another  the  blame 
of  abandoning  the  land.  And  so  fierce  and  bitter 
grew  their  feelings,  that  they  took  to  fighting  and 
using  their  swords  upon  one  another  as  freely  as 
they  had  once  used  them  upon  the  Indians.  Their 
greatest  hatred  was  turned  against  the  royal  officers 
and  nobles  and  cavaliers  from  Seville,  for  it  was  they 
who,  after  the  death  of  Hernando  de  Soto,  had  most 
strenuously  insisted  upon  abandoning  Florida,  in 
stead  of  carrying  out  the  Adelantado's  plans,  —  the 
building  of  forts  and  sending  for  reinforcements ; 
and  they  had  proved  for  themselves  that  ships  and 
armadas  might  easily  have  ascended  the  Great  River. 
The  quarrels  grew  at  last  so  fierce,  and  the  cutting 
and  slashing  so  reckless,  that  none  of  the  captains 
and  officers  dared  go  out  of  their  lodgings ;  and  the 
soldiers  then  waxed  so  furious  with  one  another  that 
the  whole  of  Panuco  could  not  keep  peace  among 


Mexico  323 

them.  The  mayor,  seeing  the  discord  increasing 
day  by  day,  sent  a  report  of  it  to  the  viceroy.  He 
ordered  the  men  to  be  sent  at  once  to  the  city  of 
Mexico,  in  detachments  of  ten  and  twelve,  the 
detachments  to  be  formed  only  of  men  of  one  way 
of  thinking,  so  that  they  might  not  kill  one  another 
on  the  road  ;  and  so  they  set  out.  Those  who  had 
a  coat  of  mail  were  able  to  exchange  it  for  a  horse, 
but  the  most  travelled  on  foot.  All  along  the  road, 
as  they  passed  through  the  villages,  the  Indians 
received  and  served  them  well. 

The  fame  of  the  Floridians  preceding  them,  when 
they  arrived  at  the  city  of  Mexico,  the  richest  and 
noblest  of  its  citizens  and  cavaliers  were  assembled 
to  greet  them  and  take  them  to  their  houses,  where 
they  clothed  and  fed  them  with  the  best  to  be  had. 
The  viceroy's  hotel  was  free  to  as  many  as  were 
willing  to  go  there,  and  he  commanded  apparel  to 
be  given  them  ;  and  those  who  were  of  quality  sat  at 
his  own  table.  The  viceroy  moreover  proclaimed 
that  throughout  the  city  of  Mexico  he  alone  was  to 
judge  these  Spaniards,  as  some  inferior  magistrate 
had  put  some  of  them  in  jail  for  wounding  one 
another  in  their  disputes.  For  their  disputes  had 
broken  out  with  even  greater  heat  and  bitterness  in 
Mexico  than  in  Panuco,  seeing,  as  they  did  here, 
what  value  the  rich  citizens  put  upon  the  few  arti 
cles  they  had  brought  back  with  them,  the  pearls  and 
particularly  the  skins,  which,  soiled  and  covered  with 
grease  and  pitch  though  they  were,  were  bought  as 
soon  as  shown.  And  they  made  the  gallantest  hose 


324  Hernando  de  Soto 

and  doublets  imaginable ;  the  richest  cavaliers  buy 
ing  them  at  the  highest  prices,  and  having  them 
cleaned  and  made  into  garments  which  they  wore 
with  greatest  effect  on  the  public  square  of  Mexico. 
He  who  could  not  procure  a  whole  garment  of  the 
furs  was  mightily  content  to  have  a  collar  of  them, 
and  wore  it  as  a  costly  thing,  and  one  of  great  rarity. 
All  of  this  served  only  to  drive  the  Florida  con 
querors  to  the  greater  grief,  rage,  and  desperation. 

And  now  the  ringing  words  of  Hernando  de  Soto 
in  Quiguate  came  back  to  them :  "  Why  do  you 
wish  to  go  to  Mexico  ?  To  show  the  smallness  and 
vileness  of  your  souls  ?  That,  having  it  in  your 
power  to  become  the  lords  of  this  great  kingdom 
containing  so  many  beautiful  provinces,  you  would 
go  and  abide  in  the  house  of  strangers  and  eat  at  the 
table  of  charity,  when  you  could  have  had  your  own 
lands,  and  your  own  table  to  share  with  others  ? " 
The  viceroy,  seeing  that  the  men  were  in  truth  be 
side  themselves  and  had  lost  their  reason,  appeased 
them  with  all  possible  blandishments  and  suavity ; 
and  to  console  them,  he  gave  them  his  word  and 
promise  that  he  would  himself,  some  day,  undertake 
the  same  conquest,  if  they  would  go  with  him,  tak 
ing  at  once  into  his  pay  as  many  as  chose  to  serve 
him. 

Juan  d'  Anasco,  Juan  Gaytan,  Balthazar  de  Gal- 
legos,  and  Pedro  Calderon  returned  to  Spain,  pre 
ferring,  they  said,  to  live  there  poor  to  growing  rich 
in  the  New  World.  Some  of  the  soldiers  joined 
religious  orders,  following  the  example  of  the  brave 


Mexico  325 

Gonzalo  Quadrado  Xaramillo,  who  entered  the 
order  of  St.  Francis.  Luis  de  Moscoso  remained 
in  Mexico,  marrying  a  noted  and  rich  lady  of  that 
city.  Most  of  the  men,  however,  rebuilding  their 
demolished  hopes,  went  to  Peru,  and  taking  part  in 
the  war  among  the  conquerors  there,  gained,  some 
of  them,  fame  and  fortune. 

And  now  there  is  nothing  more  to  tell  except 
how  Gomez  Arias  and  Diego  de  Maldonado  ful 
filled  the  orders  they  had  received  from  De  Soto. 
After  reporting  to  Dona  Isabella  de  Bobadilla,  and 
spreading  the  news  of  the  discovery  and  conquest 
throughout  the  islands  of  the  Indies,  they  bought 
three  vessels,  and  loaded  them  with  the  food,  arms, 
ammunition,  and  cattle,  the  calves,  mares,  horses, 
seeds,  eggs,  wheat,  barley,  and  vegetables  that  were 
needed  for  the  new  settlement.  And  they  could 
have  loaded  as  many  ships  more,  because  the  in 
habitants  of  Cuba  and  San  Domingo  and  Jamaica, 
excited  by  the  accounts  of  Florida,  were  enthusi 
astically  generous. 

Sailing  into  the  port  of  Achuse  and  not  finding 
the  Adelantado  there,  the  captains  sailed  out  again, 
and  going  the  one  to  the  east  and  the  other  to  the 
west,  coasted  the  length  of  the  land  until  winter  set 
in,  and  forced  them  to  return  to  Havana.  The  fol 
lowing  summer  they  set  sail  again,  and  returned  to 
Achuse,  and  again,  not  finding  the  army  there,  they 
coasted  the  continent  from  Nombre  de  Dios  in 
Mexico  to  Newfoundland,  in  search  of  sight  or 
sound  or  rumour  of  it,  and  in  vain.  As  soon  as 


326  Hernando  de  Soto 

the  next  summer  permitted,  the  two  captains  made 
still  another  effort,  spending  seven  months  search 
ing  for  the  Adelantado,  but  were  driven  as  before, 
by  winter,  back  to  Havana. 

In  the  summer  of  1543,  although  three  years  had 
now  elapsed  since  any  one  had  heard  of  the  expedi 
tion,  they  sailed  again  to  Florida,  determined  to  per 
sist  in  their  search  until  they  had  definite  knowledge 
of  its  fate ;  for  they  could  not  believe  that  the  land 
had  consumed  the  Adelantado  and  all  of  his  men 
without  any  being  able  to  make  their  way  out  in 
some  direction.  On  this  cruise,  arriving  at  Vera 
Cruz  about  the  middle  of  October,  the  captains 
learned  that  three  hundred  of  the  Spaniards  had 
escaped  into  Mexico,  but  that  the  Adelantado  was 
dead  in  the  land  of  Florida.  They  returned  to 
Havana  and  communicated  this  to  Dona  Isabella. 

And  Dona  Isabella  —  what  of  her?  When  to 
the  three  years  of  sleepless  anxiety  and  grief  were 
added  the  death  of  her  husband,  the  failure  of  the 
expedition  and  the  loss  of  their  fortunes,  and  the 
ruin  of  their  estate  and  house,  the  heart  of  Dona 
Isabella,  brave  though  it  was  and  strong,  broke 
under  its  weight  of  sorrow.  She  died  shortly  after 
wards. 


THE  STANDARD  SCHOOL  LIBRARY. 

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BARNES.  YANKEE  SHIPS  AND  YANKEE  SAILORS.  Tales  of 
1812.  By  James  Barnes.  12mo.  Illustrated,  xiii  -f  281 
pages. 

In  this  volume  of  "  Tales  of  1812  "  it  is  not  the  intention  of  the 
author  to  give  detailed  accounts  of  actions  at  sea  or  to  present 
biographical  sketches  of  well-known  heroes ;  he  wishes  but  to  tell 
something  of  the  ships  that  fought  the  battles,  whose  names  are 
inseparably  connected  with  a  glorious  past,  and  to  relate  incidents 
connected  with  the  Yankee  sailors  who  composed  their  crews — "  A 
Yankee  Ship  and  a  Yankee  Crew  "  —  thus  runs  the  old  song ;  it  is 
to  exploit  both  in  a  measure  that  is  the  intention  of  this  book. 
Brave  fellows,  these  old-time  Jackies  were.  Their  deeds  are  part 
of  the  nation's  record,  and  their  ships  exist  now  in  the  shape  of  a 
few  old  hulls.  Here  we  have  the  old  tales  now  retold ;  retold  by 
one  who  loves  to  listen  to  them,  therefore  to  talk  about  them. 

BLACK.       THE      PRACTICE      OF     SELF-CULTURE.        By    Hugh 

Black.     12mo.     vii  +  262  pages. 

Nine  essays  on  culture  considered  in  its  broadest  sense.  The 
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many  details  for  self-culture,  as  of  giving  an  impulse  to  practice. 

BONSAL.  THE  GOLDEN  HORSESHOE.  Extracts  from  the  let 
ters  of  Captain  H.  L.  Herndon  of  the  21st  U.  S.  Infantry,  on 
duty  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  and  Lieutenant  Lawrence 
Gill,  A.D.C.  to  the  Military  Governor  of  Puerto  Rico.  With 
a  postscript  by  J.  Sherman,  Private,  Co.  D;  21st  Infantry. 
Edited  by  Stephen  Bonsai.  12mo.  xi  +  316  pages. 

These  letters  throw  much  light  on  our  recent  history.  The 
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BUCK.  BOYS'  SELF-GOVERNING  CLUBS.  By  Winifred  Buck, 
16mo.  x  4-218  pages. 

The  history  of  self-governing  clubs,  with  directions  for  then 
organization  and  management.  The  author  has  had  many  years' 
experience  as  organizer  and  adviser  of  self-governing  clubs  in  New 
York  City  and  the  vicinity. 

CARROLL.  ALICE'S  ADVENTURES  IN  WONDERLAND.  By 
Lewis  Carroll.  12mo.  Illustrated,  xiv  +  192  pages. 

CARROLL.  THROUGH  THE  LOOKING  GLASS  AND  WHAT 
ALICE  FOUND  THERE.  By  Lewis  Carroll.  12mo.  Illus 
trated,  xv  +  224  pages. 

The  authorized  edition  of  these  children's  classics.  They  have 
recently  been  reprinted  from  new  type  and  new  cuts  made  from 
the  original  wood  blocks. 

CHURCH.  THE  STORY  OF  THE  ILIAD.  By  Rev.  A.  J.  Church, 
vii  -I-  314  pages. 

CHURCH.     THE   STORY   OF   THE    ODYSSEY.     By  Rev.   A.    J. 

Church,     vii +  306  pages. 

The  two  great  epics  are  retold  in  prose  by  one  of  the  best  of 
story-tellers.  The  Greek  atmosphere  is  remarkably  well  preserved. 

CRADDOCK.     THE     STORY     OF     OLD     FORT     LOUDON.     By 

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A  story  of  pioneer  life  in  Tennessee  at  the  time  of  the  Cherokee 
uprising  in  1760.  The  frontier  fort  serves  as  a  background  to  this 
picture  of  Indian  craft  and  guile  and  pioneer  pleasures  and  hard 
ships. 

CROCKETT.  RED  CAP  TALES.  By  S.  R.  Crockett.  8vo. 
Illustrated,  xii-f-413  pages. 

The  volume  consists  of  a  number  of  tales  told  in  succession 
from  four  of  Scott's  novels  —  "Waverley,"  "Guy  Mannering," 
"Rob  Roy,"  and  "The  Antiquary";  with  a  break  here  and  there 
while  the  children  to  whom  they  are  told  discuss  the  story  just 
told  from  their  own  point  of  view.  No  better  introduction  to 
Scott's  novels  could  be  imagined  or  contrived.  Hah"  a  dozen  or 
more  tales  are  given  from  each  book. 


A  LITTLE  CAPTIVE  LAD.     By  Beulah  Marie  Dix.     12ma 
Illustrated,     vii  +  286  pages. 

The  story  is  laid  in  the  time  of  Cromwell,  and  the  captive  lad 
is  a  cavalier,  full  of  the  pride  of  his  caste.  The  plot  develops 
around  the  child's  relations  to  his  Puritan  relatives.  It  is  a  well- 
told  story,  with  plenty  of  action,  and  is  a  faithful  picture  of  the 

times. 

EGGLESTON.  SOUTHERN  SOLDIER  STORIES.  By  George 
Gary  Eggleston.  12mo.  Illustrated,  xi  4-  251  pages. 

Forty-seven  stories  illustrating  the  heroism  of  those  brave 
Americans  who  fought  on  the  losing  side  in  the  Civil  War.  Humor 
and  pathos  are  found  side  by  side  in  these  pages  which  bear  evi 
dence  of  absolute  truth. 

ELSON.     SIDE  LIGHTS  ON  AMERICAN  HISTORY. 

This  volume  takes  a  contemporary  view  of  the  leading  events  in 
the  history  of  the  country  from  the  period  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  to  the  close  of  the  Spanish-American  War.  The 
result  is  a  very  valuable  series  of  studies  in  many  respects  more 
interesting  and  informing  than  consecutive  history. 

GAYE.  THE  GREAT  WORLD'S  FARM.  Some  Account  of 
Nature's  Crops  and  How  they  are  Sown.  By  Selina  Gaye. 
12mo.  Illustrated,  xii  +  365  pages. 

A  readable  account  of  plants  and  how  they  live  and  grow.  It 
is  as  free  as  possible  from  technicalities  and  well  adapted  to 
young  people. 

GREENE.  PICKETT'3  GAP.  By  Homer  Greene.  12mo.  Illus 
trated,  vii +  288  pages. 

A  story  of  American  life  and  character  illustrated  in  the  per 
sonal  heroism  and  manliness  of  an  American  boy.  It  is  well  told, 
and  the  lessons  in  morals  and  character  are  such  as  will  appeal  to 
every  honest  instinct. 

HAPGOOD.  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN.  By  Norman  Hapgood. 
12mo.  Illustrated,  xiii  +  433  pages. 

This  is  one  of  the  best  one-volume  biographies  of  Lincoln,  and  a 
faithful  picture  of  the  strong  character  of  the  great  President,  not 
only  when  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  nation,  but  also  as  a  boy  and 
a  young  man,  making  his  way  in  the  world. 


HAPGOOD.  GEORGE  WASHINGTON.  By  Norman  Hapgooa 
12mo.  Illustrated,  xi  +  419  pages. 

Not  the  semi-mythical  Washington  of  some  biographers,  but  p 
clear,  comprehensive  account  of  the  man  as  he  really  appeared  in 
camp,  in  the  field,  in  the  councils  of  his  country,  at  home,  and  in 
society.  Whenever  possible  the  narrative  is  given  in  the  words  of 
contemporaries,  in  extracts  from  letters,  journals,  and  the  publica 
tions  of  the  time.  There  are  reproductions  of  the  four  most  famous 
portraits  of  Washington,  and  several  facsimiles  of  ^ages  from  his 
journal  and  other  writings. 

HUFFORD.  SHAKESPEARE  IN  TALE  AND  VERSE.  By  Lois 
Grosvenor  Hufford.  12mo.  ix  +  445  pages. 

The  purpose  of  the  author  is  to  introduce  Shakespeare  to  such 
of  his  readers  as  find  the  intricacies  of  the  plots  of  the  dramas 
somewhat  difficult  to  manage.  The  stories  which  constitute  the 
main  plots  are  given,  and  are  interspersed  with  the  dramatic 
dialogue  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  tale  and  verse  interpret  each 
other. 

HUGFES.  TOM  BROWN'S  SCHOOL  DAYS.  By  Thomas  Hughes. 
12mo.  Illustrated,  xxi  4-  376  pages. 

An  attractive  and  convenient  edition  of  this  great  story  of  life  at 
Rugby.  It  is  a  book  that  appeals  to  boys  everywhere  and  which 
makes  for  manliness  and  high  ideals.  The  lively  and  spirited 
account  of  the  English  school-boy's  daily  life,  with  its  vivid  de 
scriptions  of  sports,  games,  and  occasional  "  scrapes,"  is  as  delight 
ful  to  read  as  on  its  first  publication.  The  sympathetic  and 
imaginative  illustrations  of  Arthur  Hughes  are  retained. 

HUTCHINSON.  THE  STORY  OF  THE  HILLS.  A  Book  about 
Mountains  for  General  Readers.  By  Rev.  H.  W.  Hutchinson. 
12mo.  Illustrated,  xv  +  357  pages. 

Besides  the  purely  geological  matter,  there  are  entertaining  chap 
ters  on  "  Mountains  and  Men,"  "  Mountain  Plants  and  Animals," 
and  "Sunshine  and  Storm  on  the  Mountain."  The  entire  subject- 
matter  of  the  book  is  diversified  by  anecdote  and  quotation. 

"  A  clear  account  of  the  geological  formation  of  mountains  and 
their  various  methods  of  origin  in  language  so  clear  and  untech- 
nical  that  it  will  not  confuse  even  the  most  unscientific."  — 
Boston  Evening  Transcript. 


ILLINOIS  GIRL.  A  PRAIRIE  WINTER.  By  an  Illinois  Girl 
16mo.  164  pages. 

A  record  of  the  procession  of  the  months  from  midway  in  Septem 
ber  to  midway  in  May.  The  observations  on  Nature  are  accurate 
and  sympathetic,  and  they  are  interspersed  with  glimpses  of  a 
charming  home  life  and  bits  of  cheerful  philosophy. 

INGERSOLL.  WILD  NEIGHBORS.  OUTDOOR  STUDIES  IN 
THE  UNITED  STATES.  By  Ernest  Ingersoll.  12mo. 
Illustrated,  xii  +  301  pages. 

Studies  and  stories  of  the  gray  squirrel,  the  puma,  the  coyote, 
the  badger,  and  other  burrowers,  the  porcupine,  the  skunk,  the 
woodchuck,  and  the  raccoon. 

INMAN.     THE  RANCH  ON  THE  OXHIDE.     By  Henry  Inman. 

12mo.     Illustrated,     xi  -f  297  pages. 

A  story  of  pioneer  life  in  Kansas  in  the  late  sixties.  Adventures 
with  wild  animals  and  skirmishes  with  Indians  add  interest  to  the 
narrative. 

JOHNSON.  CERVANTES'  DON  QUIXOTE.  Edited  by  Clifton 
Johnson.  12mo.  Illustrated,  xxiii  +  398  pages. 

A  well-edited  edition  of  this  classic.  The  one  effort  has  been  to 
bring  the  book  to  readable  proportions  without  excluding  any  really 
essential  incident  or  detail,  and  at  the  same  time  to  make  the  text 
unobjectionable  and  wholesome. 

JUDSON.      THE  GROWTH   OF  THE  AMERICAN  NATION.      By 

Harry     Pratt     Judson.     12mo.     Illustrations     and      maps. 
xi  +  359  pages. 

The  cardinal  facts  of  American  History  are  grasped  in  such  a 
way  as  to  show  clearly  the  orderly  development  of  national  life. 

KEARY.  THE  HEROES  OF  ASGARD:  TALES  FROM  SCANDI 
NAVIAN  MYTHOLOGY.  By  A.  and  E.  Keary.  12mo. 
Illustrated.  323  pages. 


The  book  is  divided  into  nine  chapters,  called  "The 
"How  Thor  went  to  Jotunheim,"  "Frey,"  "The  Wanderings  of 
Freyja,"  "  Iduna's  Apples,"  "Baldur,"  "The  Binding  of  Fenrir/1 
"The  Punishment  of  Loki,"  "Ragnarok."' 


KING.  DE  SOTO  AND  HIS  MEN  IN  THE  LAND  OF  FLORIDA. 
By  Grace  King.  12mo.  Illustrated,  xiv  +  326  pages. 

A  story  based  upon  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese  accounts  of  the 
attempted  conquest  by  the  armada  which  sailed  under  De  Soto  in 
1538  to  subdue  this  country.  Miss  King  gives  a  most  entertain 
ing  history  of  the  invaders'  struggles  and  of  their  final  demoralized 
rout;  while  her  account  of  the  native  tribes  is  a  most  attractive 
feature  el  the  narrative 

KINGSLEY.  MAD  AM  HOW  AND  LADY  WHY:  FIRST  LESSONS 
IN  EARTH  LORE  FOR  CHILDREN.  By  Charles  Kingsley. 
12mo.  Illustrated,  xviii  4-321  pages. 

Madam  How  and  Lady  Why  are  two  fairies  who  teach  the  how 
and  why  of  things  in  nature.  There  are  chapters  on  Earthquakes, 
Volcanoes,  Coral  Reefs,  Glaciers,  etc.,  told  in  an  interesting  man 
ner.  The  book  is  intended  to  lead  children  to  use  their  eyes  nnd 
ears. 

KINGSLEY.  THE  WATER  BABIES:  A  FAIRY  TALE  FOR  A 
LAND  BABY.  By  Charles  Kingsley.  12mo.  Illustrated. 
330  pages. 

One  of  the  best  children's  stories  ever  written;  it  has  deservedly 
become  a  classic. 

LANGE.  OUR  NATIVE  BIRDS:  HOW  TO  PROTECT  THEM 
AND  ATTRACT  THEM  TO  OUR  HOMES.  By  D.  Lange. 
12mo.  Illustrated,  x  +  162  pages. 

A  strong  plea  for  the  protection  of  birds.  Methods  and  devices 
for  their  encouragement  are  given,  also  a  bibliography  of  helpful 
literature,  and  material  for  Bird  Day. 

LOVELL.  STORIES  IN  STONE  FROM  THE  ROMAN  FORUM. 
By  Isabel  Lovell.  12mo.  Illustrated,  viii  +  258  pages. 

The  eight  stories  in  this  volume  give  many  facts  that  travelers 
wish  to  know,  that  historical  readers  seek,  and  that  young  students 
enjoy.  The  book  puts  the  reader  in  close  touch  with  Roman  life. 

McFARLAND.      GETTING    ACQUAINTED    WITH    THE    TREES. 

By  J.  Horace  McFarland.     8vo.     Illustrated,    xi  -f  241  pages. 

A  charmingly  written  series  of  tree  essays.  They  are  not 
scientific  but  popular,  and  are  the  outcome  of  the  author's  desire 
that  others  should  share  the  rest  and  comfort  that  have  come  to 
him  through  acquaintance  with  trees. 


MAJOR.  THE  BEARS  OF  BLUE  RIVER.  By  Charles  Major. 
12mo.  Illustrated.  277  pages. 

A  collection  of  good  bear  stories  with  a  live  boy  for  the  hero. 
The  scene  is  laid  in  the  early  days  of  Indiana. 

MARSHALL.  WINIFRED'S  JOURNAL.  By  Emma  Marshall. 
12mo.  Illustrated.  353  pages. 

A  story  of  the  time  of  Charles  the  First.  Some  of  the  characters 
are  historical  personages. 

MEANS.  PALMETTO  STORIES.  By  Celina  E.  Means.  12mo. 
Illustrated,  x  +  244  pages. 

True  accounts  of  some  of  the  men  and  women  who  made  the 
history  of  South  Carolina,  and  correct  pictures  of  the  conditions 
under  which  these  men  and  women  labored. 

MORRIS.  MAN  AND  HIS  ANCESTOR:  A  STUDY  IN  EVOLU 
TION.  By  Charles  Morris.  16mo.  Illustrated,  vii  +  238 
pages. 

A  popular  presentation  of  the  subject  of  man's  origin.  The 
various  significant  facts  that  have  been  discovered  since  Darwin's 
time  are  given,  as  well  as  certain  lines  of  evidence  never  before 
presented  in  this  connection. 

NEWBOLT.  STORIES  FROM  FROISSART.  By  Henry  Newbolt. 
12mo.  Illustrated,  xxxi  +  368  pages. 

Here  are  given  entire  thirteen  episodes  from  the  "Chronicles" 
of  Sir  John  Froissart.  The  text  is  modernized  sufficiently  to  make 
it  intelligible  to  young  readers.  Separated  narratives  are  dove 
tailed,  and  new  translations  have  been  made  where  necessary  to 
make  the  narrative  complete  and  easily  readable. 

OVERTON.  THE  CAPTAIN'S  DAUGHTER.  By  Gwendolen 
Overton.  12mo.  Illustrated,  vii  +  270  page? 

A  story  of  girl  life  at  an  army  post  on  the  frontier.  The  plot  is 
an  absorbing  one,  and  the  interest  of  the  reader  is  held  to  the  end. 

PALGRAVE.  THE  CHILDREN'S  TREASURY  OF  ENGLISH 
SONG.  Selected  and  arranged  by  Francis  Turner  Palgrave. 
16mo.  viii  +  302  pages. 

This  collection  contains  168  selections  —  songs,  narratives, 
descriptive  or  reflective  pieces  of  a  lyrical  quality,  all  suited  to  thi 
taste  and  understanding  of  children. 


8 

PALMER.  STORIES  FROM  THE  CLASSICAL  LITERATURE 
OF  MANY  NATIONS.  Edited  by  Bertha  Palmer.  12mo. 
xv  -f  297  pages. 

A  collection  of  sixty  characteristic  stories  from  Chinese,  Japa 
nese,  Hebrew,  Babylonian,  Arabian,  Hindu,  Greek,  Roman, 
German,  Scandinavian,  Celtic,  Russian,  Italian,  French,  Spanish, 
Portuguese,  Anglo-Saxon,  English,  Finnish,  and  American  Indian 
sources. 

RIIS.  CHILDREN  OF  THE  TENEMENTS.  By  Jacob  A.  Hiis. 
12mo.  Illustrated,  ix  -f  387  pages. 

Forty  sketches  and  short  stories  dealing  with  the  lights  and 
shadows  of  life  in  the  slums  of  New  York  City,  told  just  as  they 
came  to  the  writer,  fresh  from  the  life  of  the  people. 

SANDYS.  TRAPPER  JIM.  By  Edwyn  Sandys.  12mo.  Illus 
trated.  ix  +  441  pages. 

A  book  which  will  delight  every  normal  boy.  Jim  is  a  city  lad 
who  learns  from  an  older  cousin  all  the  lore  of  outdoor  life  — 
trapping,  shooting,  fishing,  camping,  swimming,  and  canoeing. 
The  author  is  a  well-known  writer  on  outdoor  subjects. 

SEXTON.  STORIES  OF  CALIFORNIA.  By  Ella  M.  Sexton. 
12mo.  Illustrated,  x  +  211  pages. 

Twenty-two  stories  illustrating  the  early  conditions  and  the 
romantic  history  of  California  and  the  subsequent  development 
of  the  state. 

SHARP.  THE  YOUNGEST  GIRL  IN  THE  SCHOOL.  By  Evelyn 
Sharp.  12mo.  Illustrated,  ix  +  326  pages. 

Bab,  the  "  youngest  girl,"  was  only  eleven  and  the  pet  of  five 
brothers.  Her  ups  and  downs  in  a  strange  boarding  school  make 
an  interesting  story. 

SPARKS.  THE  MEN  WHO  MADE  THE  NATION:  AN  OUTLINE 
OF  UNITED  STATES  HISTORY  FROM  1776  TO  1861.  By 
Edwin  E.  Sparks.  12mo.  Illustrated,  viii  +  415  pages. 

The  author  has  chosen  to  tell  our  history  by  selecting  the  one 
man  at  various  periods  of  our  affairs  who  was  master  of  the  situ 
ation  and  about  whom  events  naturally  grouped  themselves. 
The  characters  thus  selected  number  twelve,  as  "Samuel  Adams, 
the  man  of  the  town  meeting"  ;  "Robert  Morris,  the  financier  of 
the  Revolution";  "Hamilton,  the  advocate  of  stronger  govern 
ment,"  etc.,  etc. 


THACHER.  THE  LISTENING  CHILD.  A  selection  from  the 
stories  of  English  verse,  made  for  the  youngest  readers  and 
hearers.  By  Lucy  W.  Thacher.  12mo.  xxx  +  408  pages. 

Under  this  title  are  gathered  two  hundred  and  fifty  selections. 
The  arrangement  is  most  intelligent,  as  shown  in  the  proportions 
assigned  to  different  authors  and  periods.  Much  prominence  is 
given  to  purely  imaginative  writers.  The  preliminary  essay,  "A 
Short  Talk  to  Children  about  Poetry,"  is  full  of  suggestion. 

WALLACE.  UNCLE  HENRY'S  LETTERS  TO  THE  FARM 
BOY.  By  Henry  Wallace.  16mo.  ix  +  180  pages. 

Eighteen  letters  on  habits,  education,  business,  recreation,  and 
kindred  subjects. 

WEED.      LIFE     HISTORIES     OF     AMERICAN     INSECTS.      By 

Clarence  Moores  Weed.     12mo.     Illustrated,     xii  +  272  pages. 

In  these  pages  are  described  by  an  enthusiastic  student  of 
entomology  such  changes  as  may  often  be  seen  in  an  insect's 
form,  and  which  mark  the  progress  of  its  life.  He  shows  how  very 
wide  a  field  of  interesting  facts  is  within  reach  of  any  one  who  has 
the  patience  to  collect  these  little  creatures. 

WELLS.  THE  JINGLE  BOOK.  By  Carolyn  Wells.  12mo. 
Illustrated,  viii  +  124  pages. 

A  collection  of  fifty  delightful  jingles  and  nonsense  verses.  The 
illustrations  by  Oliver  Herford  do  justice  to  the  text. 

WILSON.     DOMESTIC    SCIENCE   IN   GRAMMAR    GRADES.      A 

Reader.     By  Lucy  L.  W.  Wilson.     12mo.     ix  +  193  pages. 

Descriptions  of  homes  and  household  customs  of  all  ages  and 
countries,  studies  of  materials  and  industries,  glimpses  of  the 
homes  of  literature,  and  articles  on  various  household  subjects. 

WILSON.  HISTORY  READER  FOR  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS. 
By  Lucy  L.  W.  Wilson.  16mo.  Illustrated,  xvii  +  403 
pages. 

Stories  grouped  about  the  greatest  men  and  the  most  striking 
events  in  our  country's  history.  The  readings  run  by  months, 
beginning  with  September. 

WILSON.  PICTURE  STUDY  IN  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS.  By 
Lucy  L.  W.  Wilson.  12mo.  Illustrated. 


10 

Ninety  half-tone  reproductions  from  celebrated  paintings  botn 
old  and  modern,  accompanied  by  appropriate  readings  from  the 
poets.  All  schools  of  art  are  represented. 

WRIGHT.  HEART  OF  NATURE.  By  Mabel  Osgood  Wright. 
12mo.  Illustrated. 

This  volume  comprises  "Stories  of  Plants  and  Animals," 
"Stories  of  Earth  and  Sky,"  and  "Stories  of  Birds  and  Beasts," 
usually  published  in  three  volumes  and  known  as  "The  Heart  of 
Nature  Series."  It  is  a  delightful  combination  of  story  and 
nature  study,  the  author's  name  being  a  sufficient  warrant  for  its 
interest  and  fidelity  to  nature. 

WRIGHT.  FOUR-FOOTED  AMERICANS  AND  THEIR  KIN.  By 
Mabel  Osgood  Wright,  edited  by  Frank  Chapman.  12mo. 
Illustrated,  xv  +  432  pages. 

An  animal  book  in  story  form.  The  scene  shifts  from  farm  to 
woods,  and  back  to  an  old  room,  fitted  as  a  sort  of  winter  camp, 
where  vivid  stories  of  the  birds  and  beasts  which  cannot  be  seen 
at  home  are  told  by  the  campfire,  —  the  sailor  who  has  hunted  the 
sea,  the  woodman,  the  mining  engineer,  and  wandering  scientist, 
each  taking  his  turn.  A  useful  family  tree  of  North  American 
Mammals  is  added. 

WRIGHT.  DOGTOWN.  By  Mabel  Osgood  Wright.  12mo. 
Illustrated,  xiii  +  405  pages. 

"Dogtown"  was  a  neighborhood  so  named  because  so  many 
people  loved  and  kept  dogs.  For  it  is  a  story  of  people  as  well  as 
of  dogs,  and  several  of  the  people  as  well  as  the  dogs  are  old  friendsj 
having  been  met  in  Mrs.  Wright's  other  books. 

YONGE.  LITTLE  LUCY'S  WONDERFUL  GLOBE.  By  Char 
lotte  M.  Yonge.  12mo.  Illustrated,  xi  +  140  pages. 

An  interesting  and  ingenious  introduction  to  geography.  In 
her  dreams  Lucy  visits  the  children  of  various  lands  and  thus 
learns  much  of  the  habits  and  customs  of  these  countries. 

YONGE.  UNKNOWN  TO  HISTORY.  By  Charlotte  M.  Yonge. 
12mo.  Illustrated,  xi  +  589  pages. 

A  story  of  the  captivity  of  Mary  Queen  of  Scots,  told  in  the 
author's  best  vein. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


